


The Darkness Within

by moviefan_92



Category: Elfen Lied
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Romance, Best Friends, Blood and Violence, Childhood Friends, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Declarations Of Love, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Heavy Angst, Horror, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Interspecies Romance, Light Angst, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Multiple Personalities, Platonic Romance, Psychic Abilities, Psychic Violence, Psychological Drama, Psychological Horror, Romance, Schizophrenia, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama, Tragedy, Tragic Romance, True Love, Unrequited Love, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 16:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 50,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17206631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moviefan_92/pseuds/moviefan_92
Summary: Lucy returns with a darker more sadistic personality that is bent on eventually wiping out humanity to make way for Diclonius. Lucy tries to control this new personality from hurting her friends and anyone else while she and Kohta try to deal with their feelings and their complicated past. But Yuka isn't about to let Kohta be taken from her, and Mayu and Nana are trying to accept the real Lucy. But Kakuzawa isn't about to let Lucy just walk away, and is determine to get her back, dead or alive.Drama/Romance/Angst/Horror/Suspense/Supernatural. Pairings: Lucy and Kohta, Yuka and Kohta. Rated for violence and some sexuality.STORY COMPLETE





	1. I Am Kaede

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N: Ok, so this story takes place after the anime. I haven't read the manga yet, but I do know some of the differences between the two. One of them will appear in this story. Just a warning though. For now this story is rated T, mostly due to violence. I'm not sure yet, but the rating may go up to M. I'll let you know in an Author's Note before/if I change it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Originally posted on 09/27/09 - 06/19/10 at: _<https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5405627/1/The-Darkness-Within>_**

 

 

**" THE DARKNESS WITHIN"**

**Chapter 1: I Am Kaede**

History tends to repeat itself. But then again, Lucy knew that from personal experience. Why else would she be back here at the lab, under more security than before?

_'It's because of those heartless bastards.'_  She thought.  _'Why couldn't they have just killed me? I was ready to die. I was willing to die.'_

She replayed the events in her head. After a vicious battle with another creature like her, during which she had lost one of her horns, she had been ready to accept death. It was for  _him_ , it was all for  _him._

"Kohta." She whispered the name of the boy she loved more than anything.

She decided that it had been worth it, just to see him again and apologize, it had all been worth it. She hadn't thought she would ever see him again, but Fate had decided otherwise.

' _I know you can't forgive me. I killed your father and sister. How could you forgive me?'_

Yes, Lucy was a killer. As much as she hated to admit it, she was a killer and had been since she was a child.

' _It wasn't my fault!'_  she shouted to herself.  _'Not entirely my fault. They were all so cruel. Every last one of them. Just because of my damn horns. I didn't ask to be born this way!'_

Though it was impossible to tell, but underneath all her bindings, Lucy wasn't completely human. She was a Diclonius. A newer, different species of human. The details in a Diclonius were easy enough to recognize if one knew what to look for. Pink hair and magenta eyes were a physical feature that all Diclonius had, along with pale skin. Most Diclonius also had invisible arms called vectors that could retract in their back that could be used as deadly weapons. Lucy had four, and with them she had killed more people than she could remember. But the most noticeable feature about a Diclonius were the horns on their head. Two horns, no more than two inches long were really the only thing that gave away what they were. It had been because of her horns that poor Lucy had faced so misery.

' _Guess I don't need to worry about them anymore.'_

She had lost her horns some time ago. She didn't know how long ago since she'd been imprisoned ever since. The first one she had lost fighting another Diclonius. The second one she had lost facing that firing squad. Both times had hurt like a son of a bitch. But it was nothing compared to the emotional pain she had felt over the years.

Her earliest memory was of the orphanage. She had faced so much harassment and abuse, both verbally and physically, on a daily bases. Mostly from these three boys who made their mission in life to make Lucy miserable. They had been the first ones she killed.

But it wasn't her fault! They'd provoked her. They'd set her off. Those boys and that girl. That damn girl who had gotten close to Lucy, just to make her miserable. Lucy had lost faith in humanity, thinking everyone was cruel, but that girl, she thought she could trust her. She had told her about the only friend she'd ever had; a small puppy that she had found. She had confined the secret of her puppy in that girl, and the girl had promised not to tell anyone.

But what did she do? The first chance she got, she told those bullies about the puppy, knowing full well that they would be mean to it. No, mean was an understatement. When those boys had found Lucy's puppy, they had beat it to death right in front of, no matter how much she begged them to stop. All just to see her get upset. And that girl was there too. She had said that she didn't know the boys would do  _that_  to the puppy, yet she smiled; she  _smiled!_

The next thing Lucy knew, the three boys and the traitorous girl were dead, sliced to pieces. They were her first victims. And she felt no sympathy. How could she? She had been physically and emotionally abused every damn day of her life by them. She saw them as cruel heartless monsters whose sole purpose was to hurt her. How could she feel sorry for them? They'd laughed at her misery, they'd  _laughed!_

She'd fled the orphanage at that point. She killed when she had to and took residence in her victims' homes. But what the police were calling murders, she was calling survival. As far as she was concerned, humans were evil creatures who didn't deserve to live. They were worse than vermin, wanting nothing more than to inflict cruelty on everyone around them. When viewing someone in such a light, could one honestly feel sympathy for them? Lucy didn't, she felt nothing. As far as she was concerned, she was doing the world a favor by ridding it of these cruel, evil creatures.

Then she'd met  _him_. Kohta. The only,  _only_ , person to ever show her kindness. He didn't laugh or make fun of her. He  _liked_  her horns. He wanted to be friends. Not like the girl who betrayed her, but really wanted to be friends.

All of Lucy's faith in humanity had been placed in Kohta. As far as she knew, he was the only person capable of compassion. Even at her young age, how could she not help falling madly in love with him? She would do anything for him. Absolutely anything.

It had been while she was with Kohta that she realized that she was becoming a monster. When she realized that she needed to kill again to find a new place to stay, it finally registered to her what she was doing. She was killing. Murdering. She tore people to pieces and felt no sympathy for them. And that terrified her to no end. She didn't want to be a killer. She didn't want to hurt people. And she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to stop.

And so she decided never to kill again. And she'd begged Kohta that if she couldn't stop, that he would kill her himself. The young innocent boy hadn't known what she'd meant, and she hadn't brought it up again. But she had meant what she said. She'd rather die than be a killer.

The killings had stopped. But sadly, it didn't last, because Kohta betrayed her. The boy she loved more than anything, her last anchor had lied to her about his cousin. She knew why though. Kohta had known that Lucy would be jealous of spending time with another girl, so he had told her that is cousin was a boy. But she found out, and it broke her heart.

Things had gotten out of control then. The killing had begun again, and she just couldn't stop it. She killed everyone around her as if they were insects, which, in her opinion, they were. Then she had killed Kohta's father and sister. And she would have killed his cousin too if he hadn't begged her to stop. And for him, she did.

She'd been caught that very day, and sent to a lab where sick inhuman experiments that wouldn't even be done to animals were performed on her. It had been very painful, but also educational. She'd discovered a few things about her species that she didn't know before. First off, Diclonius couldn't reproduce naturally. They depended on humans. Apparently, their vectors had a chemical compound in them. If a person should come in physical contact with a Diclonius' vector, they would become, for lack of a better word, infected, and their children would be Diclonius.

Lucy was the exception. Apparently, she was the  _queen_  of this new species. She and she alone was capable of bearing children. It was for this reason she became the  _special_  project at the lab, and was experimented on the most.

The tests were painful, but she had endured. She had one goal in mind, one thing she needed to do above everything else. She had to find Kohta and apologize for killing his family, even though she knew he would never forgive her. But for that reason alone, she survived and maintained her sanity. All for the chance to apologize.

Her chance had finally come along after years of confinement. Apparently, the man in charge of the Diclonius project, Director Kakuzawa had a son who was a Diclonius. He had let Lucy out, and she had killed everyone in her path to make her escape. It was just too bad she had been shot in the head. But who would have thought that such a head injury would cause her to have a split personality, let alone a sweet child-like one who could only say, "Nyu!"

Even now Lucy could feel Nyu somewhere in her subconscious, waiting for her chance to come back out.

' _What kind of name is Nyu anyway?'_  she thought, smiling in spite of herself.

Still, Nyu had been… useful at times. It was because of Nyu that she had gotten to see Kohta again and got to stay with him. Being reunited with her love was the greatest thing that could have happened to her, even if she did have to put up with his cousin and those two others that eventually moved in.

But those damn scientists just couldn't leave her alone. They sent all those people after her. One soldier in particular, Bondo, if she remembered correctly, had been quite sadistic. She'd cut of his arm, broken the other one, and gauged out his eyes. But the bastard came back with fake eyes and a mechanically arm to get revenge. As if he stood a chance.

After Bondo's second defeat, she had managed to tell Kohta everything. It had been the most bittersweet moment of her life. Kohta had embraced her as if he were afraid she would disappear. And he told her that even though he couldn't forgive her for killing his father and sister, he still loved her.  _He_  loved  _her._

It was enough. No, it was more than what Lucy could have ever hoped for. And she had been ready to die. To die for Kohta, so he may live.

But she didn't die. After getting her second horn shot off, she had been captured again, and had been imprisoned her ever since. The hornless queen of the Diclonius was nothing more than a science project once again.

' _It's what I deserve, if not worse.'_

But someone else disagreed with her.  _'Is it wrong to kill in a war? Because that's exactly what this is. These people are your enemies. Does one feel sorry for slaying their enemies if it means their survival?'_

Lucy put these thoughts aside. No, she would never kill again. She would spend the rest of her life rotting in this prison, suffering these mad men's sick experiments. This would be her penance.

' _Such dark thoughts for simply acting upon your instincts? It is in a Diclonius' nature to wipe out humanity.'_

Lucy shook her head.  _'Not true. Diclonius_ need _humans to survive. Since we can't reproduce we have no choice but to infect humans with the Diclonius gene.'_

The voice in her head chuckled.  _'For now. But you are the next stage of evolution. You are the queen of the Diclonius. Your children will be the next generation. Perhaps with them, Diclonius would be able to reproduce.'_

For the first time, Lucy realized that even though the voice in her head was her own, it wasn't her thinking these thoughts.  _'I take no interest in the continuation of my species. The only children I would ever bear would be Kohta's, and I lost him.'_

The voice laughed again.  _'Of course, everything for Kohta. You were going to die for him. But it looks like things didn't go as planned. He's probably at home right now screwing that Yuka girl.'_

Lucy's heart clenched painfully.  _'Shut up! Who are you? Get out of my head!'_

' _Lucy, you have nothing to fear from me. I am a friend. I am here to give you what you want, no matter what that is. I've always been here. You just forgot about me for a while.'_

Lucy shut her eyes tightly, trying to block out the voice. It only seemed to make it louder.

' _Lucy, do not shut me out. I only want what's best for you. It's because of me that you survived. Don't you remember me from the festival eight years ago.'_

An image appeared in her mind. She had indeed seen this figure all those years ago after catching Kohta with his cousin. It was a mirror image of her with bandages wrapped all around her face. But it wasn't the same. Just as Lucy had grown up, her clone had too.

What she saw was a present day version of herself, once again with bandages wrapped around her face. These bandages were the only thing covering her body, unless you counted the blood she was covered in. the only difference between the real Lucy and this duplicate were the horn. The clone still had her horns, only they were much bigger and they curved upward, making her look like a devil.

In her mind, Lucy saw herself standing next to her duplicate.  _'I do remember you. Who are you?'_

The clone snickered.  _'I am you, Lucy. I am all your desires, all the darkness and hatred in your heart. I have no name of my own, but you may refer to me as Kaede.'_

It didn't slip by Lucy that she had the same name as the house she stayed at.  _'Why Kaede?'_

' _You consider Kaede house your home, and you may consider me the real you. I am your home, Lucy.'_

Lucy felt angry towards this new personality that had come out of hibernation. How dare this Kaede say that she was the  _real_  Lucy! Lucy knew who she was, she didn't need this mental disorder telling her what she wanted and how to feel.

' _I'm not telling you how to feel. I'm telling you what you_ do _feel. I feel it as well. As for me being the_ real _you, I suppose a better way to say it is that I am who you should be; what nature intended you to be._ _All your instincts to wipe out humanity so that Diclonius may prosper._ _'_

' _I decide what I am and what I do, Kaede! Go back to whatever part of my mind you crawled out of. Go on, go keep Nyu company.'_

Kaede sighed.  _'To think, here you are being sarcastic with me when I was going to help you find Kohta again.'_

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. Kaede smirked at her reaction.

' _That is what you most desire, right?'_

As tempting as it was, Lucy turned her offer down.  _'No, I will not cause Kohta any more trouble. I was going to die to free him from me. I will not… go back… I will not endanger him further.'_

If she expected Kaede to give up, she was sadly mistaking.  _'He won't be in danger. We will protect him. We will wipe out anyone who dares to hurt him. We'll tear apart this entire lab and kill everyone in it if we must.'_

Lucy shook her head.  _'No, no more killing. I will not kill again.'_

' _So you will sacrifice your happiness for him. You've already lived a miserable life, let me give you some happiness. Be selfish for once regarding Kohta. Remember the joy you felt in being with him, being in his arms. Remember his kiss. Wouldn't you give anything for just one more day with him?'_

It hurt, it physically hurt thinking about Kohta. Why was Kaede doing this to her? It was taking all her willpower not to take Kaede up on her offer. She loved Kohta so much that she  _would_  do anything for him.

' _Even if I wanted to, I can't escape from here.'_

Kaede laughed.  _'You can't, but I can. You're conscience and reluctance to act upon your_ _Diclonius nature hold you back. I am not held back by such things. I will free us and bring you back to Kohta. And if anyone stands in our way, I will kill them.'_

' _I said no more killing.'_

' _You may not want to kill, and you may want to die, but you want to be with Kohta even more. That gives me strength to fulfill your desire. Don't fight me Lucy. I will give you what you want. Just go to sleep and let me do the rest. It will be no different than when Nyu takes over. Anything you do will be done by my hand. I will be responsible.'_

Lucy felt her mind fogging. She felt Kaede taking over. And she didn't fight it.  _'Take me to him. Take me to Kohta.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yes, the relation to the anime and the manga is that Lucy gains a third personality. For those of you that saw the anime, you should remember in Lucy's flashback that she was talking to a darker version of herself that had her face all wrapped in bandages. That's who Kaede is. So stay tuned for the next chapter when Lucy makes her escape.)


	2. The Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: IMPORTANT. See Author's Note at the end of this chapter. I also want to warn you, this chapter gets a little violent, so read at your own risk. I tried to keep the violence PG-13, but I may have crossed the line. Also, I'm currently writing two other fics along with this one, so may updates may be delayed a little longer than normal. I'll try to update one chapter for each story before updating the same story again. Normally my plot bunnies tell me which story to update on, but popularity and reviews have a big impact on my updates as well. Just food for thought.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 2: The Escape**

Director Kakuzawa was in a good mood. Things had been progressing nicely ever since Lucy was brought back. And what was even better was that she had stopped fighting, stopped resisting the tests. He wasn't sure exactly what happened to her while she was out, but he was glad it did. She seemed almost dead on the inside, which made it much easier to gain her cooperation.

Even more curious was the development of this new personality. Nyu it was called, if he remembered correctly. Quite different from the cold emotionless Lucy. His doctors had determine that Nyu was most likely all the innocence and within Lucy from her childhood that she had to keep locked away in order to survive.

' _Perhaps it will be easier to break her to my cause if I can get the Nyu part of her to dominate her mind.'_

He was brought out of her thoughts when his assistant/prisoner, Arakawa entered the room. He frowned at being interrupted. As amusing as he found her at times, and as useful as she was, she could be a bit of a nuisance. But he kept her around because she had her uses. She was rather knowledgeable about Diclonius since she had worked with his son, until Lucy killed him for trying to rape her. But the woman had a bad habit of digging up information that he didn't want her getting into. Why couldn't she just do as she was told?

He also had a feeling that she was lying about not remembering the boy who was with her when his son was found dead. But being traumatized was a convincing excuse, and so he believed her… for now.

"What is it this time?" he demanded.

She winced at his harsh tone. She was still afraid of him. Good, she should be afraid. He had shown her that he wasn't a man to be messed with after he shot her. He still remembered the fear in her voice when she asked if she was going to die a virgin bleeding to death on the floor.

' _A virgin, eh? I may need to take care of that?"_

"Um, Director," she said nervously, "I just thought you might want to see this." She handed him some papers. "There's are printouts of the readings on Lucy's brainwaves. They've been changing recently. It seems she they're becoming more… how should I say, mentally aggressive. More primitive. They've been appearing more and more."

Kakuzawa raised an eyebrow. "And what does that mean?"

Arakawa sighed. "Her instincts seem to be taking over her intelligence."

Kakuzawa growled impatiently. "Explain it to me in the simplest of terms."

He watched as his prisoner tried to break it down. "Ok, take a dog for example. On it's own, in the wild, it will act upon instinct; it's behavior not too unlike a wolf's. But we train them, educate them, so they learn how to act beyond what instinct tells them. But if you abandon even the best-trained dog, it will revert back to its primitive nature. That's what's happening to Lucy. She's reverting."

Kakuzawa sat back, thinking about this for a bit. Slowly a smile crept up his face. "Then this may work out for the best. We could learn a lot from the queen of the Diclonius in her natural state."

But Arakawa didn't share his opinion. "With all due respect, sir, I think that allowing her to revert is a big mistake. If a Diclonius' instinct tells it to kill all humans and increase its species' number, that could be dangerous for us."

The director waved off her concern. "You don't have to worry about that. Even if she does revert, we can break her. She's unstable enough as it is. And besides, we know her limitations. She won't be able to escape."

Arakawa knew she was being dismissed. "She escaped once." she muttered, as she left.

But Kakuzawa heard her. "That is only because my deranged son let her go, thinking that if he could impregnate her, and that his children would be the new generation of Diclonius."

Arakawa turned back to him. "Right, sir, I actually had a question about that. Our studies show that Diclonius can't reproduce other than infecting others with their vectors. You're a Diclonius-"

"A secret, I trust, you've kept." He interrupted.

She nodded. "Of course, sir. But how could you have had a son if you can't reproduce, especially since you have no vectors."

Kakuzawa laughed. "Very perceptive of you. Yes, by all rights I shouldn't be able to reproduce. But you see, for a male Diclonius, it is capable to impregnate a woman infected by another Diclonius' vector. Female Diclonius are more common, because they infect humans, allowing the males to impregnate the infected woman, and for the infected men to impregnate non-infected woman."

Arakawa thought about what he said. It made sense, she supposed. "So male Diclonius can't have vectors, so they can't infect humans?"

Kakuzawa shook his head. "No, they have vectors too. But my son and I come from a long line of Diclonius that have been watered down by inter-breeding with humans, which is why we have no vectors and such small horns." He grinned. "But breeding with humans will soon come to an end. Lucy is the next step in evolution."

Arakawa narrowed her eyes. "Sir, I still don't know what you're up to with all this, but I know that you have a hidden motive."

Kakuzawa chuckled. "Do you, now? Well, you'll keep that theory to yourself if you know what's good for you."

Knowing that the conversation was over, Arakawa bowed and left. Once she was gone, the director's grin faded. "She sees too much."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"How'd she get out?" a guard cried. "Check the security cameras."

"No time!" cried another. "She's coming! She's com-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as he was struck dead. Lucy walked around the corner, bathed in blood, as naked as the day she was born. She looked at the other guard and smirked.

"Hello." She said coldly.

The guard aimed his gun at her and fired repeatedly. Lucy easily deflected the bullets without even trying. The fools never learned. Guns were useless against her. Aside from her six-foot vectors, she could also create a telekinetic force that allowed her to control nearby objects within her two-meter range. Meaning no bullets could touch her.

Grinning, she mentally picked up one of the bullets. "So you like guns."

She shot the bullet right back at him. The guard went down, the bullet buried in her chest. He looked up fearfully as the Diclonius moved in.

"Please, Lucy." He begged.

She chuckled. "Lucy's not here right now." she said. "Call me Kaede."

She then proceeded to dismember the guard, one limb at a time, grinning all the while.

"Oh my God."

She turned to the new arrivals, who looked at the bloody mess in horror. She grinned. The idiots were within her two-meter range. She lashed out with her vectors. One, two, three guards went down. She left one alive to play with a bit, wanting to have some fun after being confined for so long, and she didn't mean in the test room she had been locked in.

The guard struggled to find his voice. "Get away from me, you demon! Y-You monster!"

Kaede laughed. "I find it amusing how you humans make up such creative titles to give to those you fear. Demon, monster, evil villain, spawn of Satan, minion of Hell, creature of darkness. You call me by these names, yet you don't consider yourself in the same category when your kind do such things. Even worse. Rape, torture, murder, molestation, cannibalism, beating, slavery, abuse, imprisonment, war. Am I leaving anything out? You humans have done things far worse things than any other of God's creatures. Yet it's always the ones that harm your kind that you refer to as evil. Perhaps other species view you as evil for the crimes your race has done." She bent down so she was eyelevel with him, her vectors grasping his head. "So tell me, who's the real monster here? The race who brutalized its own kind, even though they were the dominant species on the planet, or the new race that was born to take over the old one?"

With those words, she crushed his head, basking in the feeling of sniffing out his life. What a rush. Unlike her counterpart, Lucy, who felt nothing when she killed, Kaede felt a thrill of it. The thrill of the kill. Just like a predator did when it hunted down and killed its prey. That was the difference between her and Lucy. Lucy killed to survive, Kaede killed because it was in her nature. It was just a shame that Lucy couldn't learn to enjoy this. But no, her moralities had to get in the way. Which resulted in the split personalities. Well, that and the psychological damage done to her. Maybe if she had been showed even a little kindness, things would have been different.

Suddenly Kohta's face appeared in her head, and she felt her hold on the body slipping. It was a real bitch having three minds in one body. Psychiatrists would have a damn field day with her.

' _Time give her what she wanted.'_  Kaede thought.  _'I will give Lucy her greatest desires. She wishes to be with Kohta, so I shall take her to Kohta.'_

Reaching down, she retrieved the deceased guard's cardkey. It was time to leave this damned place. She wasn't sure exactly where to go to get to Kaede House, but she knew that somehow she would find her way back to Kohta.

After all, it was almost instinctual.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"WHAT?" Kakuzawa bellowed.

Slamming the phone on the receiver hard enough for it to crack, he stormed out of his office, down to the security room. How could Lucy have escaped,  _again_? He'd just finished bragging to Arakawa about how it was impossible for her to escape a second time. Talk about karma. Fate must be laughing at him.

He burst into the security room. The staff all jumped at his entrance. They were scared out of their wits. Even though they had seen Lucy leave the facility themselves, they still expected her to come back and tear them apart.

"Let me see the tape." The director growled.

"Y-Yes, sir." said a woman, who was looking rather pale.

She immediately played back the recording of Lucy's massacre and escape. Kakuzawa stood in front of the TV, watching the events take place. Lucy certainly hadn't lost her touch. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he might say that she was enjoying the killings.

"How did she get loose?"

"We don't know, sir. She suddenly broke through her restraints."

Kakuzawa growled at the lack of information as he continued to watch. Something suddenly caught his attention. "Wait, play that back. A little more. There freeze it."

The image frozen on screen was a close up of Lucy looking directly into the camera.

' _That's not her.'_  he realized.  _'That's not Lucy. It's her body, but it's not her.'_

It was the eyes that gave it away. He'd look into Lucy's eyes before. He'd seen pain, sadness, and emptiness in them before, but not this. Even when Lucy had killed, it had always been emotionless. But what he saw in her eyes now… he couldn't describe it. There was something dark and sinister in them, something cruel, inhuman… evil. These were the eyes of a killer.

He suddenly remembered what Arakawa had said about Lucy reverting. Had Lucy reverted to such a state that all that was left of her was the part to wipe out humanity?

Not waiting for his employees, he pressed Play, playing back a single sentence Lucy had said to one of the guards before she killed him.

" _Call me Kaede." ~ "Call me Kaede." ~ "Call me Kaede."_

His eyes narrowed.  _'Who are you, Kaede?'_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, so like I said, things got a little violent. I need to know, do you think I should change the rating to M for the violence, because there will be other chapters like this one. Let me know, and give me some reviews. Remember what I said about reviewing having an impact on which story I update.)


	3. The Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I had midterms this week and they took up all of my time. But now they're out of the way and I'm back with the next chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing

**Chapter 3: The Return**

The clock chimed again. Kohta couldn't believe that it was actually working. Had sweet innocent Nyu actually been known what she was doing when she was taking it apart and putting it back together in a seemingly random manner, or was it a strange coincidence that she had gotten  _very_  lucky and just happened to put it together correctly?

Tears threatened to spill from Kohta's eyes. "Oh, Nyu."

He missed the sweet naïve girl. It was like having his sister back. Well, now that he thought about it, Nyu was like a cross between a clueless sister and an energetic pet. It was hard to believe that inside that childish mind was someone completely different.

He was, of course, referring to Lucy. It had been quite a shock finding out that Nyu had a split personality. No, that's wrong, it was Lucy that had the split personality that Nyu was the result of. He didn't know the full details of what happened, but he understood for the most part.

Apparently, Lucy was the lonely little girl he had grown to love while he was a kid. She was also the one who had killed his father and sister. The shock of witnessing the murder had caused Kohta to block out the memory completely. But he remembered now, oh yes, he remembered everything.

Now it suddenly made sense as to why Lucy had begged him to kill her if she couldn't stop killing. It was because she knew that she was on the pathway to becoming a killer, and she didn't want that. But something had set her off, something that made her kill his father and sister. Then she just disappeared.

How strange they would meet again years later. Well, it hadn't really been Lucy he had met, but Nyu. How Lucy had developed a personality such as Nyu, he had no idea. But Lucy had returned. It was after Dr. Kakuzawa had taken her. He didn't know what had happened between them, but Lucy had regained control and killed Dr. Kakuzawa.

From time to time, Lucy, or Nyu, or who whoever she was, would switch between personalities. But on the last day they were together, Lucy seemed to come back completely. That's when Kohta had learned the truth about the whole situation, and everything came back to him. Everything.

Even now, he still didn't know what to think of the situation. Lucy was the one who had killed his family. She murdered other people as well, some right in front of him. He should hate her. He wanted to hate her. But for some reason, he just couldn't. Why couldn't he hate her?

Maybe it was because of the way she opened her heart to him. He could tell that she truly was sorry for killing his family. And also that she loved him. She loved him enough that she was going to die for him.

From what he could gather, Lucy was some new kind of human species called, what was it, Dilnokus, Diklonus, something like that. And she was the queen of her species. If she wanted to, she could have her race dominate the entire planet it just three years.

But she had given it all up. For him. She had thrown away her destiny, walking readily to her death, just for him. And he couldn't let her. He just couldn't. Even though she had killed his family, he had meant what he said. He did love her. He couldn't bring himself to forgive her for what she did, but he couldn't stop himself from loving her either.

Nor could he stop her from going to her death. And he hadn't seen her since. He had heard the gunfire and knew that she was lost to him. All that he had left of her were confusing memories and conflicting emotions.

The doorbell rang again, bringing him out of his thoughts. He had gone and gotten caught up in the past and had completely forgotten about their visitor. He could still see their shadow behind the door. He wondered who it was.

"Hello," he greeted them, "sorry to keep you waiting."

He opened the door and time stopped.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Inside, the others were happily enjoying their meal. Yuka delicately nibbled at her food while Mayu fed her pet dog, Wanta. The third person, Nana, who was also a Diclonius, shoveled food into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Nana, don't eat so fast," Yuka scolded lightly, "you're going to get a stomach ache."

"And you're getting it all over your face." Mayu pointed out, plucking a piece of rice off her friend's cheek and popping it into her own mouth.

Nana beamed at them. "I'm sorry, it's just so good. I never had good food like this while I was…"

She trailed off, but she didn't need to say anymore. Yuka frowned, feeling sorry for the girl. It seemed that everyone in this house had a tragic past. Poor Kohta had lost his family at such a young age, though she wasn't exactly sure how they died. She knew it wasn't by the reason she was given.

Little Mayu had been abandoned by her parents and had been living on the streets with Wanta until she and Kohta had taken them in. She wondered why the girl's parents had handed their daughter over, no questions asked. Little did Yuka know that Mayu's stepfather had been molesting her, which was why the girl ran away from home in the first place.

Sweet Nana was perhaps the most tragic of them. Just because she had been born with horns, she had been subjugated to cruel inhuman experiments her entire life, only to later watch the man she believed to be her father die right in front of her.

Then there was Nyu, or Lucy, as she found out the girl's real name. She was of the same race as Nana. Yuka had no idea of what happened in Lucy's past, but she had somehow developed a split personality. She suspected that the girl's past may have been more complicated than she was aware of, and she had a feeling that Kohta and Nana knew more about Lucy than they had revealed, yet she didn't press the issue.

Then, of course, there was her. She was the girl who was in love with her cousin. Who had tried her whole life to win his affection, only to have him remain completely oblivious to her feelings and to forget the best possible chance they had of ending up together. And to make matters worse, Kohta seemed to have feeling for Nyu, and vice versa.

With a sigh, Yuka went back to her meal. Even though Nyu was her love rival for Kohta's heart, she had never wanted anything bad to happen to her. And she too missed the sweet naïve girl. But maybe it was for the best. Once everything she had been kept in the dark about had come to light, all the strange events began to make sense. And with Nyu no longer around, all the strange things had stopped. So perhaps things really did turn out for the best. Nyu would no longer have to suffer from her past, and the rest of them could live their life in peace.

A patting on her arm caught her attention, and Yuka turned to Mayu, who was looking worried. "Is something wrong?"

Mayu turned to Nana. "I think something's wrong with Nana."

That's when Yuka noticed it too. Nana had gone pale, much more than her normal pale complection. Her eyes were wide and fearful, and her body was trembling.

"Nana?" Yuka asked carefully. "Are you feeling ok?"

Nana didn't seem to hear her.  _'What… what is this? I sense it, but it can't be!'_  She jumped to her feet. "It can't be!"

She took off running, ignoring the others' cries. Running was still hard to do with her fake limbs, but she had to hurry and see for herself. If what she was sensing was right, then things were about to get real bad, real fast.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohta's mind tried to register what he was seeing. Before him stood a pink haired girl with magenta eyes. Like the time when he had first seen her on the beach, she was completely naked, save for the coat of blood she was covered in. But this time she had no horns. The last time he had seen her she only had one, having lost the other one in a fight.

That's when he finally snapped out of it and realized that someone he believed to be dead was standing before him. But which one was it, Lucy or Nyu? Whoever they were, they had a hungry triumphant expression one their face as they looked at him.

"Kohta." She whispered, in a tone that he hadn't heard either Lucy or Nyu use before.

Then she collapsed, falling forward. Kohta quickly caught her, ignoring the fact that his clothes were being covered in blood. Blood? Oh hell, what had happened? Was she hurt? He hoped not.

"Kohta!"

He turned to see Nana come running out of the house. She gasped in shocked horror at Lucy/Nyu. Whichever one she was, he decided to worry about it later. Right now she needed help; he didn't know how bad her injuries were.

Scooping her up into his arms, he carried the unconscious girl into the house. He ignored the shocked gasps from Yuka and Mayu as he carried her. He knew they had questions. So did he. What had happened? Who did this? What the hell was going on? But these questions would need to be asked later. Right now he had to deal with the girl he had thought to be dead for two months.

Nana stood alone, trying to comprehend what was happening. That girl that Kohta had carried in, was undoubtedly Lucy. But it was only Lucy in body. The mind was not that of Lucy, nor was it that of Nyu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I know, not much happened, but after not updating for so long I wanted to give you guys something.)


	4. Awaken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Alright, so here's the next chapter. What's going to become of Lucy and the others? Read and find out.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 4: Awaken**

Kohta was relieved when Yuka announced that Lucy/Nyu didn't appear to be hurt. Once she had washed off all the blood, she found out that none of the blood was the Diclonius'. She didn't appear to be hurt, but both of her horns were gone, leaving only jagged stumps.

Mayu was out of her mind with worry. Nana was aware of her friend's distress, which made her even more concerned. She too wanted Nyu to be alright, but she was concerned of what would happen if it was Lucy who was in control. Though Lucy had seemed less hostile than when they had first met, Nana felt that Lucy was still dangerous. And no matter how much she cared for Nyu, she would take down the Diclonius queen if she attempted to hurt her friends.

' _As if I really stand a chance'_  she thought to herself.  _'I'll have to… have to kill her when she's Nyu. But I don't want to hurt people. Oh, Papa, what should I do?'_

But Lucy wasn't her only concern. She had felt that other dark presence within Lucy/Nyu. What it was, she didn't know, but it frightened her more than Lucy ever could. This new mind was dark and twisted. While Lucy was full of pain and anger, which drove her to kill, this new one was anxious to kill, excited by it. Wanted it. And that scared her. Nyu was nothing to worry about, and Lucy only harmed others that attempted to harm her or to take control of her. If this new one actually wanted the killing to continue, then who knew how serious the situation was.

' _I have to talk to Kohta.'_  She decided.  _"I will trust his judgment.'_

Her mind made up, she went in search of her new fatherly figure. She found him sitting by Lucy/Nyu's side, where he had been since Yuka had finished cleaning her up. She felt so bad for him. The expression on his face revealed his inner turmoil. She couldn't blame him. He cared for Nyu like a little sister, yet it had been Lucy who had killed his father and real sister. The situation was similar for her. Nyu was a dear friend, almost like a sister, yet Lucy had mercilessly torn off her arms and legs. It was hard to comprehend.

"How is she?" Nana asked.

Kohta sighed. "I'm no doctor, but I think she'll be alright. She doesn't seem to be hurt physically." He looked at Nana. "Which one is she?"

Nana knew what he meant. "I can't tell while she's unconscious. But before she fell unconscious, I did sense someone." She took a breath. "It wasn't Nyu or Lucy."

Kohta gave her a confused look. "Neither one? What do you mean?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself. The only possibility I can come up with is that a third personality has appeared."

Kohta gasped, looking worriedly back at Lucy/Nyu. "A third personality. What do you mean?"

Nana scratched her head, trying to find the right words to use. "It's hard to explain. I'm not entirely sure myself. It's like, depending on who is in control, I can sense the thoughts and emotions of them. There's a difference between them. This new presence, I fell nothing but the drive to kill. It's very dangerous. Lucy may have killed, but it was never out of desire. This new one wants to cause pain. It wants to kill and take the role of the Diclonius queen. And if this presence has its way, all of humanity will die, and Diclonius will take over. That is something we can't let happen!"

Kohta remained silent, comprehending everything Nana had told him. He didn't really understand, but from what he had gathered, there was a drive deep inside Lucy that wanted to kill. He knew that it wasn't Lucy or Nyu that wanted this, but someone, something, did.

"So what are you telling me?" he asked. "That we should kill her?"

Nana gasped. She didn't know what she was trying to say. Kill her? She can't say that the thought hadn't crossed her mind, no matter how briefly. But that would only be as a last resort. She would not kill Lucy/Nyu unless she truly did become a killing machine.

"No," she said, "just that we should be cautious, and be prepared for the worst, depending on which one wakes up."

Kohta sighed. He couldn't argue with that, no matter how much he wanted to. But he couldn't bring himself to kill Lucy or Nyu. He didn't have it in him to kill anyone, no matter what the circumstances were.

"I'll keep that in mind." He told her. "Just don't tell the others."

Nana nodded in agreement. "Yes, we'll keep this between us."

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Yuka was worried. Poor Nyu hadn't woken up for hours. And Kohta hadn't once left her side, insisting to be there for her when she woke. A small twinge of jealousy went through Yuka, but she pushed it aside. Now was not the time to be jealous. Kohta was worried about Nyu, just as she was. There didn't need to be any reason beyond it. She too viewed Nyu as a sisterly figure and was worried about her. Yes, no reason beyond it except for worry about Nyu's wellbeing.

' _Oops, I mean Lucy's wellbeing.'_  She thought as she entered the room.

Kohta was still sitting by Nyu's bedside, watching her protectively. Yuka sat down beside him, setting down a bowl of water. She dunked a rag in the water and began lightly dabbing Nyu/Lucy's face.

The Diclonius groaned at the contact, causing both Yuka and Kohta to react.

"Nyu? Lucy?" Kohta asked.

"Is she waking up?" Yuka asked hopefully.

The Diclonius' magenta eyes slowly opened. They weren't cold and cruel, or sorrowful and hurting, but innocent and naïve.

"KOHTA!" she wailed in a high-pitched voice, throwing her arms around him.

Startled by her sudden outburst, Kohta fell on top of her. From the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes, he knew that it was Nyu who had awoken and not Lucy. He was relieved. In his worry over the Diclonius, he hadn't had much time to think of what he would say or do with Lucy when the two of them finally did meet again.

"Kohta!" Nyu cried happily. "Kohta! Kohta! Kohta!"

With a nervous glance at Yuka, Kohta returned the embrace. "Nyu, are you ok?"

The Diclonius nuzzled him. "Nyu miss you, Kohta! Nyu miss you! Don't leave Nyu!"

"I won't." he told her. "I won't let you go again."

The door burst open as Nana and Mayu hurried in, both looking relieved, Nana for two reasons.

"Nyu's alright!" Mayu cried happily, running to join in on the hug.

"Mayu!" Nyu cried. "Nyu home! Nyu home!"

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Director Kakuzawa walked down the specimen lab. He needed to get Lucy back. But first he had to find her. It would require another Diclonius to do that. Not himself, of course. He wasn't fool enough to go after Lucy. She'd kill him without even batting an eyelash. No, what he need was a Diclonius that would stand a chance against Lucy, but would still obey him.

Fortunately for him, he had a certain Diclonius that would meet his requirements. It was risky, he knew, for this Diclonius was extremely unstable, but he was left with no other choice in the matter.

"Sir! Director Kakuzawa!"

He stopped and turned to see Arakawa running towards him. If the girl didn't amuse him so, he'd find her terribly annoying. "What is it?"

The woman took a moment to catch her breath. "Sir, I've been looking into the behavior patterns of the Diclonius."

Kakuzawa motioned for her to continue. "What about it?"

Arakawa began flipping through pages before, in her hast, she dropped them. "Oh shoot." She sighed. "Sir, I was looking into why Diclonius are always so hostile. It just didn't make sense that they should all want to kill for no apparent reason."

"I don't see where you're going with this." the director replied impatiently.

"Sir, aside from Number 7, also known as Nana, all the Diclonius that we have at the facility have been aggressive and hostile to humans. But all of them have been subjugated to rather cruel and brutal tests. After forced to live a life of such torture, it's common sense that they'll view humans as their enemies and want to fight back."

Kakuzawa glared at her. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that it's not fair to classify all Diclonius as dangerous when all the Diclonius we've ever researched on have had a reason to be hostile to humans."

"You are grasping at straws." Kakuzawa told her. "To have every case of Diclonius we've had to be hostile is proof enough to classify Diclonius as dangerous."

Arakawa returned his glare. "Every case we know of is due to cruel treatment. I'm going to look into this further."

She turned away, but Kakuzawa grabbed her arm. "Be careful of the answers you seek. You may not like what you find."

Arakawa pulled away. "I'll take my chances,  _sir_. You brought me here to do research on Diclonius, so that is what I'm going to do."

Kakuzawa watched as she stormed away. He had to admit, he liked her spirit. He was going to enjoy breaking it. But first, he had bigger fish to fry.

Running his keycard through the key slot, the door opened for him. Inside, chained to the wall, was a boy of about 14, pink hair and horns classifying him as a Diclonius.

Kakuzawa approached the boy, making sure to stay out of range of his vectors. "Hello, Number 28." He hesitated a moment. "Or would you prefer Kenshin?"

Slowly the boy looked up. His expression was blank, his eyes empty. He stared at Kakuzawa as if were seeing him, but not  _seeing_  him.

"Still nothing to say?" Kazuzawa asked. "After 8 years, you still haven't spoken a word."

The Diclonius, Kenshin, merely cocked her head to the side, his half-lidded eyes staring at him blankly.

Kakuzawa sighed. Communicating with Kenshin was like talking to a wall. It was strange how the boy had changed over the years. Kenshin had once a lively boy who had been abandoned by his parents as an infant due to his horns. At age 4, he had been brought here from an orphanage, and, like all the Diclonius here, been experimented on. One day the boy just seemed to break. Ever since then, he hadn't spoken a word, displayed no emotion, didn't even react to the most brutal of torturous experiments. He didn't seem capable of thinking for himself. He obeyed every order without thought or question. Other than that, he just sat as still as a statue, sleeping when he was tired, eating when food was brought to him, basically existing and not living.

"Well," Kakuzawa muttered, "since you still have nothing to say, I'll do all the talking. Tell me, Kenshin, how would you like to get out of her for a while?"

The boy merely blinked at him, giving no indication that he even heard the director.

With a groan, Kakuzawa continued. "A Diclonius escaped from us, and I want it back. If you are willing to go after her, you will be able to walk freely. While searching for her, you may do what you want and go anywhere in the city that you want as long as you report in everyday. How does that sound? To be able to walk around in the fresh air and sunshine, to be able to eat real food, to sleep in a real bed, to not have to go through any experiments until you bring your target back. How does that sound?"

Kenshin still didn't react. If it wasn't for him breathing, you would think he were dead. He was definitely dead on the inside. What little was left of his mind seemed to revolve around doing what was required to live and nothing more.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kakuzawa turned away. "I should have known that this was pointless."

He began to leave. He was about to walk out the door when someone spoke.

"Which one?"

Kakuzawa froze. He turned back to Kenshin, to find the boy staring at him. So the boy did still know how to speak. Granted, his voice was unbelievably horse and raspy after years of nonuse, but at least he was till capable of speech.

"Lucy," he replied, "the queen of your species."

Kenshin blinked once. "Alright."

Kakuzawa raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You'll do it just like that? You want nothing in return?"

Still Kenshin displayed no emotion. "What should I want?"

Kakuzawa shrugged. "Never mind. You'll leave immediately."

He left the room and Kenshin was once again left alone. His body went limp again, all traces of life vanishing save for the rise and fall of his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: So it was Nyu that woke up. Things are all right, for now. But Kakuzawa is unleashing another Diclonius. And emotionless people like Kenshin are often the most dangerous. How will thing turn out?)


	5. Back to Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: It's not easy writing three stories at once. Now I know why I always wrote one at a time. Sorry the delays are longer than usual, but with three stories, I can't neglect my fans for one story in favor of another. So here's the next chapter, hope you like it.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 5: Back to Normal**

It was almost as if nothing had happened. Nyu was back, and she was her normal cheerful self. She ran around, she played, she clung to Kohta, much to Yuka's annoyance, and acted as if she hadn't been away at all.

"Is this really ok?" Yuka asked. "To just ignore everything that's happened?"

Kohta sighed. "There's not much we can do about it. Nyu is… well, you know. Until Lucy resurfaces, we can't even talk to her about it."

"Right, Lucy." Yuka muttered.

She didn't know what to think about that. Nyu she could handle, but Lucy… She didn't know a thing about Lucy. But Kohta did. She knew it. He knew something.

She had to find out what it was. She didn't want to pry into Kohta's life, but now that Nyu had returned, she needed to know the truth.

Gathering her courage, she turned to Kohta. "What do you know?"

He gave a confused look. "Know what?"

She glared at him. "You know what I mean. I'm talking about Nyu. Or Lucy. You know something about her. Something you're not telling me."

The look on his face said it all. And he didn't deny it. "Yes, it's true. I do know something. I met her before. Back before… my father and sister died. This was back before she became Nyu."

Yuka nodded. So Kohta had known Nyu, no, Lucy before. She figured as much. "Tell me everything, Kohta. I'm involved with this too. I have a right to know."

That was true, Kohta admitted. Yuka was now involved with this and had a right to know. "Alright, I'll tell you what happened."

He recounted the events of when he and Lucy had met as kids. Telling her everything from when he first met her in the woods to when they departed before the festival. He left out the part about Lucy begging him to kill her if she couldn't stop killing, as well as what happened on the train. That Yuka did not need to know.

"You took your clothes off around each other!" Yuka shouted when he got to that particular part of his story.

Kohta waved his arms defensively. "We were just kids! There was nothing sexual about it!"

Yuka's face was read. "But still… you two… and no clothes… and… it's not decent!"

"What's not decent?"

The two turned to find Mayu standing there, having heard their conversation in passing.

Kohta turned red. "I-It's nothing, Mayu. Just grownup talk."

Mayu blinked. "Ok, if you say so. I'm going to take Wanta out for a walk."

"NYU!"

Nyu came running by, holding out her arms as she ran around happily.

Mayu turned to Nyu. "Hey, Nyu, do you want to go with me and Wanta?"

Nyu stopped. She looked at Mayu, then spotted Kohta behind her. She grinned happily and tackled him, latching onto his arm. "Nyu stay with Kohta." She announced cheerfully.

Mayu shrugged. "Ok, I'll be back soon. Oh, and Nyu."

"Nyu?"

"I'm glad you're back."

The Diclonius beamed. "Nyu home!"

Yuka's eye twitched. It wasn't so much the fact that Nyu was clinging to Kohta again, it was that her breasts were rubbing up against him. And Kohta was certainly aware of that if his expression and blush were anything to go by.

"Hey, Nyu," she said, "Kohta and I are talking privately. Can you go play with Nana for awhile?"

Nyu blinked and looked at Kohta, obviously reluctant to let him go.

Kohta gave her a smile. "Go on, we're almost finished here."

Nyu pouted. "Kiss first!"

Both Yuka and Kohta's mouths dropped. "What?" the latter asked.

"Kiss first. Kiss first, Kohta."

She closed her eyes and waited with a big grin on her face. Kohta glanced nervously at Yuka, waiting for her reaction. Yuka glared at him for a moment before sighing and tapping her cheek. Kohta nodded and gave Nyu a small peck on the cheek.

The Diclonius was more than happy with it, and looked up at him with her eyes shining. "Nyu happy!"

"That's good." Yuka replied. "Now go play with Nana."

Nyu nodded and ran from the room. "Nana, Kohta kissed Nyu!"

Trying not to feel jealous, Yuka turned back to her cousin. "Real sweet. Now, go on with your story."

Glad she hadn't hit him for showing affection for Nyu, Kohta continued. He ended with Lucy telling him what she was and going off to her death.

"But she didn't die." Yuka finished for him. "Then… where's she been all this time?"

Kohta shrugged. "I don't know. And talking to Nyu about it is useless. All we can do is wait for Lucy to come back."

Yuka eyed him suspiciously, noting the far off look on his face. She still had one more important question to ask him. "Kohta…" she hesitated, "how do you feel about Nyu? Or rather, how do you feel about Lucy?"

Kohta winced. That was a very good question. One not even he, the only one who could possibly answer, had an answer to. What were his feelings towards Lucy? Did he like her? Hate her? Love her? Was it even possible hate someone and love them at the same time?

"I… don't really know." he said honestly. "Lucy and I have a very… complicated past."

Yuka's eyes narrowed. Was he still keeping something from her? "Kohta, what are you not telling me?"

Kohta shook his head. "I can't tell you anymore. It's not my place. If you want to know anything else," he stood up, getting ready to leave. "You'll have to ask Lucy personally."

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"Wanta, slow down!" Mayu cried cheerfully as her little dog dragged her. "I thought I'm supposed to be taking you for a walk." Wanta doubled back and began jumping around her feet. Mayu smiled and bent down to pet him. "I know, you're happy about Nyu coming back too, aren't you? I know, isn't it great? Our family is whole again."

Family, just that one word could bring great happiness, or great sorrow. Mayu knew the best of both worlds, and that wasn't exactly a good thing. She remembered how happy she and her parents were. Life was good, and they enjoyed being together.

But after her father died, life had gone to hell. Her mother had become a shell of her former self, mourning her dead husband. Then she ended up marrying that monster of a man; the type of person she would normally go out of her way to avoid had her father still been alive. That man had been cruel. He twisted her mother to bend to his will until she hardly thought for herself. Then he had turned to Mayu to fulfill his sick pedophiliac desires. And her mother, blamed Mayu for it, saying that if Mayu wasn't there, then everything would be all right.

"So I ran away." she whispered. She looked down at the dog, scratching behind his ears. "I don't think I would have made it if it hadn't been for you, Wanta."

The dog licked her hand and she chuckled. Yes, even though her happy life had fallen apart, she had managed to find happiness once again here at Kaede house with Yuka, Kohta, Nana, and Nyu. Yes, life was good once again.

"Well, Wanta, you ready to head back?" she asked.

The dog barked, but instead went in the opposite direction of home, dragging Mayu with him.

"Wanta, what's wrong? Where are you going?"

The dog stopped for a moment, barked at her, then ran. Mayu lost her footing from the tug of the leash and let go. Wanta ran off, barking the whole way.

"Wanta!" Mayu cried.

She ran after the dog as it turned down an ally. When she turned down it, she saw Wanta by a shadowy figure, sitting against the wall. Whoever they were, they smelled as if they hadn't bathed in days.

"Excuse me, sir," she said carefully, "um, but that's my dog."

"I know." the man replied. "Wanta, is it?"

Mayu recognized the voice. "Hey, you're that man."

He turned her. "The name's Bando, kid. And yeah, it's me. I have seen better days though."

Mayu moved closer to get a better look. Yes, the once proud Bando now resembled a bum. His clothes were more like rags, his body dirty, his hair messed up, and he was in need of a shave.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Don't you have a home?"

Bando snorted. "Not anymore. I'm on the run. Gotta tough it out on my own."

Mayu frowned, feeling sorry for him. She knew exactly how tough it was on the road. She wanted to help him. She knew from personal experience that he wasn't a nice guy, but she was somewhat fond of him. She had saved his life when she found him shot, with one arm cut off, the other broken, and his eyes gouged out. Saving someone's life created a bond, one that she knew Bando, even in his unfeeling nature, couldn't deny that they had. And she couldn't just leave him out here in the cold, even if it was warm out.

She opened her mouth to invite him to stay at Kaede house, then closed it when she remembered Nyu. She knew that Bando, for some reason, was after Nyu's life. She couldn't let them stay in the same house. Bando would kill Nyu on sight, and Mayu didn't want anyone to get hurt.

But perhaps she could still help him though.

"Um, sir, Mr. Bando, if you want, I could see if I could get you some clothes, or a blanket. Or maybe if you're hungry-"

"No thanks, kid." He interrupted. "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself."

"But-"

"I said no. I've been taking care of myself my whole life. I don't need anyone."

Mayu frowned. "I just wanted to help."

Bando chuckled. "And it's not that I don't appreciate it, I just don't want it. Look, I don't expect a kid like you to understand, but I'm a loner. I do things on my own and that's the way I like it. I don't like being in debt to anyone."

He had told her that before. Mayu remembered how he said that whenever she was in trouble, he would help her in order to pay her back for saving his life. Well, that was until he found out that she knew Nyu and threatened to kill her if she didn't tell him. Heck, the only reason he didn't kill her was because he owed her his life.

"You're not… still trying to kill Nyu, are you?" she asked carefully, knowing that bring up the subject could be dangerous.

Bando's normally cold eyes became colder. "If you mean Lucy, then you better believe it. I'm going to find that bitch and kill her slowly. She'll wish she were back as a lab experiment before I'm done with her."

Mayu frowned. So he was still after Nyu. She thought he would be. "You know, she disappeared. We all think she's dead. Kohta told us how she faced off against that firing squad."

Bando glared at her. "Don't say that. Don't you fucking say that! She can't be dead, not until  _I_  kill her." His fists clenched. "I gave up everything to get my revenge. She's all I have left. I won't stop until I wring that bitch's neck with my bare hands."

Mayu made a small noise. "Sir, I may not know everything about what's going on, but I think you should forgive Nyu."

He gave her a look of disbelief. "What?"

Mayu nodded. "I don't know why you want to kill her, but I know that you'll never be happy if you keep going on like this."

Bando stared at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. "Kid, you're a real fool, you know that. I hope you can hang onto your innocence. But for me, no, I can't. I'm not going to stop until I can crush that bitch's head beneath my foot." He snickered. "You're really smart, and a nice girl, kid, but you don't know me. I'm a killer. I've killed before, and I'll kill again. It's what I do, what I'm good at, and it's what I enjoy. You don't want to get involved with me, kid." He pushed Wanta to her. "You'll definitely regret it if you do."

Mayu picked Wanta up, feeling sorry for the man, but knowing better than to push him. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I hope you'll find your happiness someday."

She bowed to him and left. Bando sighed and looked up at the sky, a small smile on his face. "My own happiness, eh?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Sweet, idiotic kid."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Nyu, no stop! Wait, don't touch me there! That tickles, stop! Mayu, help!"

Bath time with Nyu was the same as always. She splashed water everywhere as she fondled Mayu and Nana's breasts, switching between the two. Nana was her current victim, pinned down by the other Diclonius while Nyu held onto her tightly, playing with her breasts.

"Nyu, you're making a mess." Mayu cried, trying to get the energetic girl off her friend.

Big mistake. Nyu simply turned her attention on Mayu, jumping on her instead.

In the other room, Yuka chuckled as she prepared dinner. "It's good to have things back to normal again." she admitted.

"Whatever normal is for us." Kohta added. "I just hope things can stay the way they are."

Yuka smile faded slightly. "So, you're saying that you don't want things to change at all?"

Kohta gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

She waved it off. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud. Dinner will be ready soon."

Kohta got up. "Ok, I'll tell them."

He hadn't walked more than two steps before Yuka grabbed him. "They're taking a bath! Just what do you mean you'll tell them, you perv?"

Kohta realized his mistake. "No, wait, that's not what I meant. I was just going to…" He stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Hey, guys, dinner's almost ready!"

"Dinner!" he heard Nyu wail. "Nyu sit by Kohta!"

"Nyu, wait, you still have to rinse off the suds!" Mayu cried.

Kohta immediately ducked into the kitchen, knowing what was coming. It wouldn't be the first time Nyu ran out in the middle of her bath and latched onto him. It normally ended up with him in need of a cold shower and a large bump on his head, courtesy of Yuka's fist.

Nyu burst out of the bathroom, naked, wet, and soapy, and ran through the house, searching for Kohta. She slipped and fell, crashing painfully to the floor, sliding a good 12 feet.

Mayu sighed. "I'll get her." she said, climbing out of the bath.

Nana sighed and laid back with a content smile on her face. It wasn't until Mayu left that she sensed the change. When Nyu had tripped, she hit her head. Now sweet innocent Nyu was gone, and someone else was in her place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm glad I added that prt with Bando. I always thought he was an interesting character that should have appeared more. And they never explained what happened to him after his rematch with Lucy, so I had to improvise. But more on him later. Nyu has gone and hit her head, switching personalities. But who will it be, Lucy or Kaede? Either way, things are going to turn out interesting.)


	6. Insight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: This chapter gets rather dramatic, but has a lot of insight, hence the name of the chapter.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 6: Insight**

Nana's heart was pounding. Slowly she crawled out of the bathtub and peaked out the door.

"Mayu, don't…" she muttered quietly.

But Mayu didn't hear her friend as she bent down by the fallen Diclonius' side. "Nyu, are you alright?"

The Diclonius' eyes opened and she slowly sat up. She remained where she was for a moment before turning to look at the large clock. She slowly reached out and ran her hand over it affectionately.

"Nyu, did you hurt yourself?"

She turned to the girl beside her. Mayu, that was her name, wasn't it? And why was she naked? What had happened since she left the lab?

' _Do you wish to know the details?'_  came Kaede's voice.

Lucy didn't want to know, but then again, she didn't need to be told. It was easy enough to figure out. Kaede had slaughtered them all. But she didn't care. She had willingly let Kaede take over, knowing that it would mean the death of people. But she hadn't cared, not if it would bring back to…

Her eyes widened. "Kohta…" she whispered.

"You can see Kohta later." Mayu told her. "First you have to finish your bath first."

She reached for her.

"Don't!" Nana cried, suddenly appearing by Mayu's side and grabbing her arm.

Mayu looked at Nana in surprise. "Nana? What's wrong?"

Not wanting to worry her friend, Nana didn't tell her the truth. "You already finished your bath. I'll take care of Lu-Nyu."

"Oh, ok… You didn't need to sound so worried though."

Forcing a smile, Nana turned back to Lucy. "Come on, Nyu. Lets finish our bath. I'm sure we have  _much_  to talk about."

Lucy turned to her fellow Diclonius, her eyes cold. "Yes."

Mayu watched them go back to the bathroom, curious about their behavior. They were both acting strange. Nana seemed to be scared, and Nyu seemed… distant. That was weird; when had Nyu ever been distant?

Back in the bathroom, Nana submerged herself in the hot water while Lucy went to rinse off the suds. The tension was thick in the air. After all, the two of them didn't have a good past. After Nana had tried to force Lucy to return to the lab, to a life of pain and imprisonment, they had battled and Lucy had torn off Nana's limbs. True, Lucy may have saved her life from that one scientist that attempted to kill her, but that didn't make the two of them friends.

When Lucy joined her in the water, Nana visibly tensed. "Relax, I have no intention of fighting or causing any trouble." The former muttered.

Nana frowned, relaxing slightly, but still remained on her guard. "Habits aren't easily broken, and you have a history of bad habits."

Lucy glared at her. "I take no pleasure in fighting or killing. But I do what I must to survive and keep my freedom." Her expression softened. "Truthfully, I'm surprised you've managed to keep your hands clean of blood and still gain your freedom."

A sad look crossed over Nana's face. "Papa was the one that saved me."

"Saved you? That miserable bastard saved you? Now that I find hard to believe."

Scared of Lucy as she was, Nana still got angry. "Don't talk about Papa like that! Papa was a great, wonderful, kind man."

The look in Lucy's eye silenced her. "Great? Wonderful? Kind? You are truly mistaken if it's Kurama you're referring to. He is a cruel man."

"That's not true! He was nice to me, he loved me!"

Lucy gave a snort of humorless laughter. "You believe the lies. The only reason he was so nice to you was so you would have an anchor to hold onto through all the torturous experiments that he himself put you through so you wouldn't lose your sanity. After our fight when he found you with your arms and legs torn off, he didn't shed a tear. He made a living killing our kind at birth, regardless of the parents' pleas. He was one of the ones that made me what I am. A kind, wonderful man? What a joke. He lied, used, and manipulated you. And you still call him Papa? What a fool you are."

Nana had long since covered her ears to block out Lucy's cruel words. "You're wrong! Papa was a good man! He loved me like his own daughter!"

Again Lucy laughed. "Like his own daughter? That's a laugh, considering what he did to his  _real_  daughter. He was going to kill her too as an infant, but his wife, on her dying breath, begged him to spare her. So what did he do? He locked his own daughter away in cold darkness. Never once did he visit her. Left her to live on machines alone, half starved, and to undergo the same sick treatments that you and I went through. He even authorized to have bombs planted inside her body so she could be controlled. It would have better if he killed her rather than letting her suffer alone in darkness her entire life. And after all that, when his daughter finally met him, she was happy to see him. And he killed her in return, taking his own life in the process, because he couldn't live with the guilt, with the sins he committed." She leaned back and closed her eyes. "And he said I was a monster. He was the real monster."

"Stop saying that!" Nana cried, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Papa wasn't… wasn't like that."

Lucy raced an eyebrow. "And you, having been locked in a prison your whole life, only to see him on few occasions, would know that?"

"Well how do you know?"

"I was Kakuzawa's favorite specimen. He talked a lot. He was just as cruel as the rest of them."

Nana shook her head. "Papa saved me from him. He helped me escape."

"He abandoned you." Lucy corrected. "He left you all alone in the world with absolutely no knowledge of how to make your way. Had you not come to Kaede House, can you honestly say that you would have made it out there? Especially with those horns."

Nana's hands went to her head. "What's wrong with my horns?"

Lucy sighed. "In my eyes, nothing. But in the eyes of society, you're a freak, an abomination. Simply for our appearance, humanity decided that we are evil creatures that would kill our own parents without a second thought. So they killed us off before we even had a chance to live. And those they didn't kill, they tortured in the name of science. Aside from Kohta, the only things I have ever received from humanity were cruelty and pain. So forgive me for not being able to see beyond their bad qualities."

Nana shook her head. "Kohta's not the only one. Mayu and Yuka are kind and caring too."

Lucy felt a jolt of jealousy at the mention of Yuka's name, but she couldn't deny the truth of Nana's words. "Yes, they are kind. Even when I had my horns, they showed me kindness."

She reached up and felt where her horns once were. She felt jagged stumps in their place. Her eyes narrowed. She hated, hated,  _hated_  her horns. She was glad they were gone. It almost felt as if her dark past had vanished with them.

' _Then lets sever all ties to our past.'_  Said Kaede.

Before Lucy could question her, she felt her vectors come out. Nana gasped, sensing Lucy's movements. Ignoing the other Diclonius, Kaede directed her vectors up to her own head and sliced of the remains of her horns.

The pain was intense. Unbearable. A scream got caught in Lucy's throat as she tried to gasp and cry out at the same time. Tears filled her eyes and she nearly threw up.

' _Bitch!'_  she snapped at Kaede.

Her alternate personality chuckled.  _'I act upon your desires. You wanted no trace of your horns, so I did what never occurred to you to do.'_

With trembling hands, Lucy felt her head. The spot where her horns once were was no longer jagged, but smooth and level with her head, leaving two bald spots hidden by her hair.

"What happened?" Nana asked.

Lucy wiped her eyes. "Nothing. It's nothing."

She sat back and closed her eyes. Nana watched her for a bit, nervous about the awkward silence. Bathing with Nyu was one thing, but bathing with Lucy…

"What happened after we last saw each other?" she asked.

"I was imprisoned again." she said simply. "More painful experiments, heavier security. It was just like old times." She huffed. "Humans and their cruel sadistic ways. And they have the nerve to say we're evil and hostile towards them. What the hell do they expect after the way they treat us?"

"That's still no excuse to kill." Nana scolded. "Killing is never the answer."

Lucy moved a strand of wet hair out of her eyes. "You're so naïve. If you went through what I went through, perhaps then you'd understand."

' _So show her.'_  Kaede told her.  _'Diclonius have a special connection. They can sense each other's emotions. Show her yours. Let her experience what you felt your whole life. All the betrayal, the loneliness, the pain.'_

' _I can do that?'_

' _I will do it for you. Simply touch her with your vector.'_

Lucy didn't fully trust her alternate personality. This one was very different than Nyu. It was capable of acting and thinking on its own, not to mention able to talk to her. But all the same, she extended her vector out to Nana.

The other Diclonius jumped back. "W-What are you doing?"

"Calm yourself. I'm just going to let you experience what I have. Tell me you can still justify humans after you experience what I went through all my life, before and after the lab."

Her invisible hand rested on Nana's head. Nana's eyes widened as everything came rushing into her. Her pupils dilated and her breathing got caught in her throat as she experienced everything Lucy did through their mental connection.

It lasted only a split second, but that second was an eternity in Hell for Nana. "My God…" she muttered.

"Not God." said Lucy. "God didn't do that to me. Humans did. And now I will ask you again, can you still say that after all that I went through that I should feel anything besides hate for those that have done this to me?"

She received no answer, but she didn't need one. Getting out of the bath, she went to dry herself off.

"I may have done evil things in my past, but I am not an evil person. I acted only in retaliation and did what was necessary to survive."

She heard a chuckle in her head and knew it was Kaede.  _'Except for that one night at the festival.'_

Lucy tried to ignore her. She was just a child. She had viewed all humans as cruel and evil creatures. Nothing but beasts that would hurt her if she didn't hurt them first. How else would a lost little girl that had known nothing but cruelty react?

"Them too." Nana whispered. Lucy gave her a curious look. "Them too. I know that Papa took no pleasure in any of his work. He was afraid that our race would wipe out all of humanity. So he was trying to wipe out the Diclonius threat before it became too great. He too did what was necessary to survive. Just like you did."

Lucy stared at her for a moment, surprised. The girl was actually trying to justify the cruelness their kind hand undergone by humans. "If what you say is true, then I can understand them killing off our kind. But there was no reason we had to suffer so much. They could have just killed us too and we wouldn't have had to go through those sick experiments."

"And what of you?" Nana asked. "Why didn't you just kill me? When we fought, why did you tear off my arms and legs and then let me suffer? Why not put me out of my misery?"

Lucy had no answer. But words from a long time ago echoed in her head.  _"When someone is miserable, they want to make someone else more miserable then they are."_

"You see." Nana continued. "Humans, Diclonius, we're all the same. Both sides are capable of cruelty and compassion. Out of fear, the humans labeled us as evil. Along the way, defending themselves became cruelty to us. So we're cruel right back. Defending ourselves became being cruel to them as well. We're all at fault. I just don't see why all the killing and suffering has to continue."

There was silence between them again. Finally Lucy realized that she had one more thing to say, and then she would be through talking.

"I did what I did in the past because it was all I thought I could do. I knew nothing else. I was driven by the urge to hurt those that hurt me." She wrapped the towel around herself. "But that didn't mean I wanted it. The killings, the suffering, on both sides. I didn't want it. I still don't. And that's why, I'm never going to kill again. I haven't since the day they recaptured me, and I swear that I never will again."

Nana watched her as she went to leave. She sensed that Lucy was being sincere; she truly never wanted to kill again. But hadn't she killed when she escaped again? She had been covered in blood.

"You killed when you got away from them again, didn't you?" she asked.

Lucy paused. "That wasn't me."

Nana recalled the dark presence she had felt earlier. "Then who was it?"

Lucy turned back to her. "No one of your concern."

And she left. But just before she did, Nana had caught an evil glint in her eye that had not belonged to Lucy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Poor Lucy and poor Nana. But they both make good points. Look at it from Lucy's point of view. Her whole life she knew nothing but cruelty from everyone she ran into. The way she saw it, everyone wanted to hurt her, which was why she killed so easily, even though she didn't want to be a killer. The festival, as Kaede points out, was the one exception to that, which is why Lucy feels so torn up over it. But there will be more on that later. As for Nana, she's having her eyes opened to just how cruel the world is, but she's also opening up Lucy's eyes to not see things from just her point of view. But, again, more on that later. For now, just tell me how you liked the chapter.)


	7. Afraid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things get rather dramatic in this chapter. Lucy and Kohta have their confrontation after all this time.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 7: Afraid**

Alone in her room, Lucy took time to think over everything Nana had told her. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted to keep thinking that humans were evil creatures whose sole purpose was to cause pain. True, there were those that were kind, but from what she experienced, most were cruel.

" _Out of fear, the humans labeled us as evil. Along the way, defending themselves became cruelty to us. So we're cruel right back."_

Lucy shook her head, trying to put Nana's words out of her mind. Whether she was right or wrong, she had done what was necessary to survive. The humans had done that and more, they had made her suffer.

" _Why did you tear off my arms and legs and then let me suffer?"_

"Shut up!" Lucy snapped. "Stop making excuses for them."  _'Or am I the one making excuses?'_

Kaede's voice spoke to her.  _'Why dwell on such thoughts? Does it matter who was right and who was wrong? Even if you did go beyond what would be considered necessary to survive. As you pointed out, you took no pleasure in killing or causing pain. Although the humans did seem to enjoy causing you pain.'_

Lucy felt somewhat relieved by Kaede's words. Yes, those tests were cruel, most unnecessary. Those scientists were definitely heartless bastards. She had no regrets about killing them. But some of the people, such as Kohta's sister and father, she didn't have any right or reason to kill them. It was those type of people she was sorry for killing.

' _Do not feel sorry for those insects.'_  Kaede told her.  _'They are nothing. Many more humans will die before this is through. We will kill all those that stand in our way.'_

"No!" Lucy snapped. "I am done killing. Never again will I kill."

' _Killing humans is in our nature. Our instincts tell us to kill the humans so that we may replace their species with our own. That's why you found it so easy to kill in the past, because it was what your instincts told you to do.'_

"I'm not some wild animal. My instincts don't control me. I have a mind of my own. I'm in control of what I do. I want nothing to do with what my instincts say. Kill humans, infect them with the Diclonius gene, be the queen of the Diclonius species, I want none of it, and I will have nothing to do with it."

When Kaede spoke again, she sounded slightly irritated.  _'Then we have a problem. As I told you before. I act upon your desires, but I also act upon our instincts. I will do what's in our nature whether you want to or not. And that includes killing humans. Even Kohta, if he stands in our way.'_

"No!" Lucy cried, both fearfully and angrily. "I will never allow you to harm anyone, especially Kohta."

She received only a chuckle. It was just as she thought, this new personality couldn't be trusted. It was primitive and violent, acting without morals or conscience. Lucy may have done horrible things in the past, but she was nowhere near the level Kaede was. She couldn't allow Kaede to take control again. The killing had to stop!

There was a knock at the door. "Nyu, are you ok?"

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. "Kohta…"

"We're all waiting for you. Don't take too long."

Now her heart was racing. She was with Kohta again. She would have to see him for the first time since she confessed everything. Back then she'd had no regrets, thinking she was going to die. Now she was back with him again, and she was… terrified. She would have to face him again.

But how could she?

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Boy, Nyu sure is taking a long time." Yuka remarked.

"You think she needs help getting dressed?" Kohta wondered out loud.

Yuka kicked him under the table. "And what sort of perverted thoughts are going through your mind?"

Kohta rubbed his shin. "I was just stating a fact. You know how she is."

Mayu pushed back her chair and stood up. "I'll go help her."

"No!" Nana cried. She received strange looks for her outburst. "I mean, I'm sure she'll be fine. She has to learn to do things on her own." The door opened. "See here she is now."

Lucy slowly walked into the room, eyeing the others at the table. There he was, Kohta, looking at her with that kind caring look.

' _Oh, Kohta…'_

"Come on, Nyu," said Mayu, "sit down. Right next to Kohta like you wanted."

Trembling, Lucy approached the table and sat down by Kohta. She was served dinner by Yuka and everyone began to eat, none, save Nana, knowing that she was no longer Nyu.

Lucy tried to play the part of her alternate personality. It was a very badly failed attempt. She was nothing like the innocent and child-like Nyu.

Afraid as she was, she still greatly enjoyed the meal. It had been two months since she had a real meal. While at the lab, she had been force-fed some sort of slop that she wasn't even sure was edible. So eating real food was heavenly.

Throughout the meal, she kept stealing glances at Kohta. What would he do now that she had returned? Would he be happy, sad, angry, relieved, surprised? Maybe he was glad to have Nyu back, but to have Lucy back was a different story.

' _Why are you so concerned about what he wants?'_  Kaede asked.  _'Did we not agree to be selfish for a change, to be with him whether we deserve to or not?'_

' _You don't love, do you?'_  Lucy asked.  _'You may be part of me, but if you were capable of love, you would love Kohta as much as I do. And you would do anything for him.'_

She received no response, and was glad of it. As grateful as she was to Kaede for bringing her back her, she did not like her. The only reason Kaede helped her in the first place was because they shared the same desires.

Kohta finished eating and got up. "Thank you, Yuka, it was delicious." He gathered his plant and left the table. As he past by Lucy, he whispered in her ear. "Come to my room after everyone else goes to sleep… Lucy."

Lucy sucked in her breath. So he did know she wasn't Nyu. Did Yuka and Mayu know too? She didn't really care. Kohta was everything to her. And he knew who she was and wanted to speak to her. Alone. In his room. While everyone else was asleep.

She blushed slightly. She couldn't help it. Being alone with the man she loved had her thinking rather embarrassing thoughts.

' _As if he would ever do anything with his family's murderer.'_

Kaede spoke up.  _'If you want Kohta in that way, but will not act upon it, I will act for you.'_

' _No! I will not allow that to happen. I am not worthy of Kohta. I will not let you do_ anything _to him.'_

She received a chuckle in response.  _'We shall see tonight.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

She didn't go. She couldn't face him. She just couldn't. What would she say? What would she do? She felt so lost. She had confessed her crimes and her love to Kohta. Where did she go from there? There was no way they could go back to the way things were before. It was impossible.

She sat on the bed, hugging her legs. She couldn't possibly stay in her room forever. Her room? Was this really her room? Should she really even be here? Should she even be alive?

The sound of the door opening caught her attention. She looked up to see Kohta entering her room. No, he couldn't be here. She wasn't ready to meet him. She wasn't.

"You didn't come to meet me," he told her, "so I came to you."

Lucy unconsciously moved away from him. "Kohta… I… I…"

"You don't need to be afraid of me." he told her. "I just want to talk about what happened to you."

Lucy looked away. "What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you can tell me is fine. Just know that you can trust me with whatever you say."

Lucy shook her head. "There's nothing to tell. I was recaptured, put through more torture, and I escaped again. There's not much else to tell."

Kohta thought otherwise. "Recaptured? Tortured? Just what the hell did those people do to you? Tell me everything, Lucy. Everything from when we were kids until now."

She looked away from him again. "Kohta, my past, you don't want to know. It would be better if you don't."

Kohta grabbed her shoulders. "Lucy, the last time we met, you revealed a lot about yourself, but you left me with even more questions. You killed my father and sister, but you never told me why. I need to know why. Tell me everything. Tell me, Lucy, help me understand. I have to understand."

And he had a right to. Lucy knew that she had to tell him. Tell him everything just like he asked. And she did. She told him about her past. About the orphanage, about constantly being betrayed, about the killings, about how she felt when Kohta had lied to her about Yuka, about how she had been a lab rat for those sick demented scientists, how she had obtained Nyu's personality, how she lived for the sole reason to tell Kohta that she was sorry for killing his family. The only thing she left out was Kaede. And she only left her out because she didn't fully know what to do about her new personality yet.

Kohta was silent as he listened to it all. Never would he have imagined it. So much pain, so much betrayal. It was a miracle she was still sane, excluding Nyu of course.

"So now you know." she said. "You know my whole past. And I now leave my fate up to you. What will you have me do, Kohta. I will do anything you ask."

Kohta was silent as he processed all this information. Lucy let him think it over, letting him have all the time he needed.

He was silent for over ten minutes before he spoke. "No one should have to go through the pain you've suffered. I can understand your hatred for humans after the way they treated you. I can even forgive you for most of the killings you've committed. You were forced to do what you need to survive."

Lucy felt her heart swell. He was forgiving her? How could he possibly forgive her? She was a killer. She had wronged him and others. She hadn't just killed those that were a threat to her, but also innocents. How could he forgive her for that?

"However," Kohta continued, "I can't forgive you for killing my father and sister. You had no right to take their lives, or the lives of those people at the festival. Killing to survive is one thing, but senseless killing is another matter."

"I know." Lucy replied. "Although I am truly sorry for what I've done, I don't deserve forgiveness. I'll carry that guilt with me for the rest of my life."

"And what good will that do?" Kohta demanded. "You regret your actions, that shows that you're not a monster. But you still took innocent lives. Do you think spending your whole life consumed with guilt will bring them back?"

"Kohta…"

"Well it won't! If you're really sorry for taking their lives, then live for those people you killed. You regret your actions, now make up for them. Be happy in their place, live for them. Don't dwell on the past and move towards a bright future. Because no matter what you do, those people can't be brought back to life and your pain can't be taken away. So leave the past behind you and move forward."

Lucy stared at him in disbelief. She had never heard Kohta talk like that before. It amazed her. As harsh as his words were, they were also helpful. Live for the future, not for the past. The past can't be undone, the future can only be changed.

"Oh, Kohta." She whispered. "I don't know what to do. I have blood on my hands that I can't wash off. How can I-"

"Stop thinking like that." he interrupted. "You're not evil, Lucy. That much I know. You've made mistakes, mistakes you can't undo, but you can make up for them. If you let your sins consume you, then even the justified killings you did will be in vain because you won't truly be living."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Look, Lucy, we all make mistakes, some worse than others. Learn from those mistakes and work towards a brighter future."

Lucy nodded. "That's what I intend to do. I swore to never kill again. I hate killing, and I'll never do it again."

Kohta nodded. "That's good. You should never kill. It's not the right answer. But at the time you didn't know that. It was all you could do. You were betrayed by everyone else and couldn't go to anyone for help. But there will always be people to help you. You have to trust in humanity, whether they be human or Diclonius."

He got up to leave. Lucy unconsciously grabbed his shirt, preventing him from leaving. A lot had been said tonight, but she still needed to know something.

"Kohta, do you hate me?"

Kohta was silent for a moment. Then he turned back to her, offering her a smile. "I hate what you've done. But, no, I don't hate you. I meant what I said that night you disappeared. That lonely little girl I met so long ago, I really did love her. I can't hate someone I love, and still do."

Lucy gasped, looking up at him. But he was already gone. Still, it was enough for now. He didn't hate her, but he couldn't forgive her for killing his family. That was fair. More than fair. She didn't deserve forgiveness anyway.

' _Pathetic humans.'_  Kaede commented.  _'They're not worth your tears.'_

Tears? Yes, Lucy realized that she was crying. She didn't know why, but the tears continued to flow.

"They are." She said. "They're worth more than my tears. More than my own life. So I will do what Kohta said. I will live for them. I will find happiness in this world. All this pain and suffering has to end. I will have no part of it. I never wanted to be a killer, and I will never kill again." She now spoke directly to Kaede. "That means I won't let you hurt anyone."

Kaede laughed.  _'Then this will become a battle of willpower. So what's stronger, your love and your morals, or my instincts and nature?'_

Lucy shook her head. She wouldn't let it happen. She would keep Kaede locked away. And if she couldn't and began killing people again, unable to stop, then she would do the very thing she asked of Kohta, take her own life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Although Lucy seems heartless most of the time, there were times in the anime where she regretted her actions. Well, maybe not to the people that were trying to kill her, but definitely for the innocents she killed. I know Kohta seemed harsh on her in this chapter, but he was actually helping her. She was letting her past sins consume her, and he gave her a way to live with them by living for the people she killed. But Kaede is different. She's pure primitive instinct, and it is in a Diclonius nature to kill humans. Things between the two are going to get rather nasty.)


	8. Meeting Kenshin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Sorry people, but there's no Lucy/Kohta interaction in this chapter. They're not the only characters in this story you know. As the title points out, we get to see more of Kenshin. So read on and enjoy.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 8: Meeting Kenshin**

"So, what do you think of Lucy?" Nana asked.

It had been a little over a week since the Diclonius had returned. So far, there had been no trouble, but there was an air of uneasiness around them all. Lucy always seemed to be on her guard and would only allow herself to relax around Kohta. And even then, she seemed to be worried about something.

Mayu tapped her chin. "Hmm, well, she's very different from Nyu. She is a little cold-hearted at times, but I don't think she's the monster everyone made her out to be."

Nana had to agree with that. Lucy had changed a lot since the first time they had met. Although she was still unfriendly, she was trying to be more open. It was strange though. Sometimes it seemed as if Lucy was arguing with herself about something, or having a private conversation with someone who wasn't really there. Nana would have dismissed it as simply talking to herself or something, but she would occasionally sense a dark presence creep up in Lucy's mind. It was the same one she felt when Lucy had first returned. It left her with no doubt that Lucy was hiding something.

"I still think you should be careful." Nana told her. "She may have changed, but she still has that killer instinct."

Mayu frowned. "That's not fair, Nana. All Diclonius have that instinct. You do too, so did Nyu. Deciding to act upon it is what makes a difference."

Nana looked down. "That's true," she admitted, "but there's still something about Lucy. You have to admit that she does act… strangely at times."

"It's none of our business. We're all entitled to our own secrets. She's not doing anything bad, so it's ok. I think you should just leave her alo- Wanta, don't go to the bathroom there!"

The puppy looked up innocently as he finished his business. He trotted over to the two of them and barked happily.

"Oh, Wanta, I let you off your leash and look what happens."

Nana chuckled. "Want to walk by the beach? Maybe we'll see some dolphins."

Mayu smiled. "You just want to walk barefoot in the sand."

Nana giggled. "But it feels so nice! And when the waves wash over my feet and then go back, the bubbles tickle!"

Mayu looked at her dog. "What do you think, Wanta? We can play fetch."

The dog barked in reply and rolled over to have his stomach rubbed.

"Oh, Wanta." She picked the dog up, receiving a lick on the nose from it.

"I'll race you!" Nana cried and took off.

"Hey, that's not fair. Come back."

Nana laughed as she got her head start. But as she approached the beach, her run came to a slow jog and then a walk before she stopped. Mayu quickly caught up, giving her friend a strange look.

"I thought you wanted to race to the beach."

Nana waved the comment off. "Hold on, I'm sensing something."

"Oh?" Mayu closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't sense anything."

"That's because it's another Diclonius… I think."

"You think?"

Nana crossed her arms, trying to figure it out. "It's strange. I know it's a Diclonius, but I don't sense anything from them. No emotions, no thoughts, nothing."

Mayu cocked her head to the side. "I don't get it."

Nana sighed. "It's like sensing the difference between an inanimate object and a person. I  _know_  it's a person, but it feels like an inanimate object."

"Hmm." Mayu muttered, and then continued walking. "Well, let's check it out."

Nana nodded. "Yeah lets check it… wait, what? No, what if it's dangerous?"

Mayu didn't think so. "You said you don't sense anything from them. So there's no hostility."

"There's no compassion either. Mayu wait!"

They continued towards the beach, Mayu curious and Nana looking nervous. When they made it to the beach, they saw a figure walking down it all alone. Mayu looked at Nana for confirmation and the Diclonius nodded. Mayu made an attempt to go forward, but Nana stopped her.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Mayu shook her finger at her. "Nana, you have to learn to trust people."

"But they're a Diclonius."

Mayu shrugged. "So are you. Look, if we want peace between our two races, then we have to make an attempt. Now come on."

Nana made a small noise, but followed her friend over to the person walking on the beach. They didn't even acknowledge their presence until they were standing directly in front of them.

Kenshin blinked, looking at the two girls. Aside from looking at them, he gave no indication that he even realized that they were there.

"Hi." Mayu greeted. "My name's Mayu, this is my friend Nana. You've got horns just like her."

Kenshin's gaze shifted to Nana alone. This wasn't Lucy. The Director hadn't mentioned anything about another Diclonius. He had only spoken of Lucy.

"Not her." he muttered.

Nana pointed to herself. "Hmm? Me? Who am I not?"

Kenshin simply walked around them and continued on his way.

"Wait!" Mayu cried. "Are you trying to find someone? Maybe we can help."

Kenshin stopped. He slowly turned around and looked at her. "Help? Why?"

"Well, if you're trying to find someone, three pairs of eyes are better than one."

Kenshin blinked as if he didn't understand. "Why help me? It's of no concern to you."

Now Mayu looked confused. "Well, that's ok. We'd still be happy to help. Right, Nana."

Nana shyly tried to make herself invisible behind Mayu. "Um, yeah, sure. Who are you trying to find?"

"Classified." Kenshin replied.

Mayu blinked in confusion. "Well then how can we help you if you won't tell us who you're trying to find? By the way, what's your name?"

"Kenshin." He replied.

"Well, Kenshin, we'd like to help, but you'd have to tell us who it is you're looking for."

"Not supposed to. Was told not to."

Mayu glanced at Nana curiously. Her friend just shrugged. Mayu looked back at Kenshin with a raised eyebrow. "Ok then, why aren't you supposed to tell?"

"Don't know."

"Didn't you ask?"

"Why ask?"

A slight chill ran through Mayu. Nana was right, there  _was_  something wrong with this person, and it had noting to do with the fact that they were a Diclonius. It was the way he spoke and reacted with no emotion.

"So you're just doing what you're told without asking?"

"Yes."

Nana tugged on her friend's sleeve. "Mayu, he's weird." She whispered. "Lets get out of her."

"But I think he needs help." Mayu whispered back.

Kenshin just continued staring at them, not seeming to care that they were talking about him.

"So," said Mayu, attempting to get more information out of Kenshin, "who told you not to talk about who you're looking for?"

"Director Kakuzawa."

Nana gasped. When Mayu glanced at her, she whispered in her ear, "That's the bad man who's in charge of the place where they hurt Lucy and me."

Mayu also gasped, looking back at Kenshin worriedly. "Are you… trying to find Lucy?"

Kenshin merely cocked his head to the side. "Can you tell me where she is?"

Mayu narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "That depends. What are you going to do once you find her?"

"Bring her back or kill her." He spoke as if this meant nothing.

Mayu's eyes widened. "No, you can't! Leave Lucy alone! She's suffered enough."

Kenshin blinked. "So?"

Mayu seemed taken aback. "So? So just leave her alone."

"I was given an order."

Nana peaked out from behind Mayu. "That doesn't mean you should follow it. Hurting people is bad."

"So?"

"So?" Mayu cried. "Why do you want to hurt Lucy?"

"I don't."

"Then why are you doing what this director guy said?"

"Because I was told to."

This was getting them nowhere. Mayu felt Nana's grip on her shirt tighten, indicating how nervous she was getting. "That's not a good enough reason. If you don't want to listen to him, then just do what you want."

Kenshin simply blinked again. For a moment, he seemed confused. "I don't want."

Now Mayu and Nana were the ones confused. "I don't get it. If you don't want to do this, why are you doing it?"

"It's something to do." It was said as if this should have explained everything.

"Mayu," Nana muttered, "I don't like this. Let's just go before he kills us."

"Kill you?" Kenshin repeated. The thought seemed to have never had occurred to him.

Nana suddenly moved in front of Mayu, holding up her arms. "I won't let you hurt Mayu. Just go away."

Nana was suddenly knocked off her feet. Kenshin's vectors had shot out, knocking her over. Then they were strangling her. Nana gasped as her hands clawed at the invisible ones around her throat.

"Nana!" Mayu cried. "Stop it! Let her go! Don't hurt her!"

And strangely enough, he did. Nana sucked in a mouthful of air, coughing rapidly. Kenshin just watched as Mayu fussed over her friend, the expression on his face not changing since they met.

"Nana, are you ok?" Mayu asked worriedly.

Nana nodded, still trying to catch her breath. She was slightly confused as to why Kenshin didn't kill her.

Kenshin continued to watch them. "Will you tell me where Lucy is?"

Nana coughed. "No… leave us… alone…"

"Ok."

And he turned and continued walking along the beach as if he had never even run into them. Mayu helped Nana to her feet as they watched Kenshin walk away.

"What's going on?" Mayu asked.

Nana rubbed her neck. "Director Kakuzawa still hasn't given up. We need to warn Lucy about him."

They both shared the following thought.  _'I'm just worried how she'll react.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Kenshin's kind of creepy, isn't he. He's not supposed to be a bad guy or a good guy. He's just completely devoid of emotion and feeling to the point where he barely thinks for himself. Just wait until he and Lucy meet. It's not going to be pretty.)


	9. Keep On Killing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things have been a little too peaceful for Lucy. It's time to make things more interesting. Lets see how she and Kaede react to Nana and Mayu's news about Kenshin.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 9: Keep On Killing**

Kohta looked up nervously at Lucy and Yuka. What should be a nice quiet game of cards was turning into a hostile staring contest between the two girls. Kohta was afraid to leave them alone together. Lucy was hostile by nature, and Yuka certainly wasn't a fairy princess. They just may kill each other if left alone.

He hoped Mayu and Nana returned soon. He  _really_  had to go to the bathroom, but was afraid he would find a bloodbath when he came back. Lucy may have sworn never to kill again, but Yuka had made no such promise.

His stomach groaned in protest, informing the others of his discomfort.

Yuka glanced at him. "Kohta, are you ok?"

He gave her a nervous smile. "Y-Yeah, just fine."

His stomach groaned again. He couldn't wait for Mayu and Nana to get back; he wasn't going to make it.

"I fold." He said, setting down his cards. "Be back in a bit."

Both girls watched as he left the room, then their attention went back to each other. If looks could kill…

"I'm not gonna lose, you know." said Yuka.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. She knew that Yuka wasn't referring to the card game. "Are you now?"

"I've known Kohta longer than you. I know him  _better_  than you."

' _Kill her!'_  Kaede told Lucy.

She ignored her alternative personality. "I have my whole life to get to know him. I want to know everything about him. And I already know enough to know that I will love him and only him forever."

Yuka threw down her cards. "I won't let you take him from me. I've loved him longer than you! I've loved him since I was a little girl!"

"As have I." Lucy replied, almost calmly. "I suffered for him, even went willingly to my death for him. Can you say the same?"

Yuka growled irritably. "He loves me, you know."

Lucy cocked her head to the side. "You're his cousin. It's natural that he loves you. You're a  _blood_  relative. Is the love he has for you the kind of love you're looking for?"

"Cousins can get married!" Yuka snapped. "It's not illegal."

"It's still frowned upon. "Lucy pointed out.

' _Just kill her!'_  Kaede cried.  _'She's your love rival. She wants to steal your mate. Strike her down. Remove all obstacles in your path.'_

' _Will you shut up!'_

Yuka crossed her arms. "Can you even be with Kohta in that way? Can you do everything a  _human_  can do?"

Lucy glared at her. "If you are asking if humans and Diclonius can reproduce, then the answer is yes. Just as dogs can breed with wolves and horses can breed with zebras, our DNA is close enough to allow us to have children." Her eyes narrowed. "And the only children I shall ever have will be Kohta's."

Yuka was going to argue some more, but what Lucy had said sparked her curiosity. "What are you supposed to be anymore? A different race, disease, mutation."

"Evolution." Lucy replied. "It's nature's natural order. All things evolve over time. Diclonius are the evolved forms of humans." She cocked her head to the side. "Did you think that humans were the only living things that didn't evolve?" She chuckled. "That's just how life progresses. Animals evolve into stronger creatures and replace their less evolved ancestors. Are humans not descended from apes? I believe they evolved from a type of primate called an Australopithecus. You don't see them around anymore, because humans replaced them. Diclonius are the next step in evolution. That's why we have the instinct to kill humans. But unlike our ancestors, we have the intelligence to choose not to do it." Her eyes narrowed. "Humans just haven't given us a reason not kill them."

"Not all humans are bad." Yuka pointed out.

Lucy nodded in agreement. "Yes, but many of them were cruel to us. They kill us on a regular basis, so we Diclonius tend not to even give them the chance by killing them first."

"Heartless." Yuka muttered under her breath, but Lucy still heard.

"If you come across a wild animal, one that has been known to kill humans, and you had a gun, would you wait to see if it was one that would hurt you, or would you rather just shoot it and guarantee your safety?"

If Lucy was trying to justify the murders she and her race committed, Yuka wasn't buying it. "You just have an answer to everything, don't you?"

"I have had a lot of time to think." She glanced over her shoulder. "This conversation will have to be put off until later. Nana and Mayu are returning."

Yuka raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

"We can sense the presence of our own kind."

"Oh, right." She had forgotten. "Fine, we'll continue this later. Just know that I'm officially declaring war on you."

Such a declaration was unnecessary. The two of them had been at war for years, with Kohta's heart as the prize.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"We're back!" Mayu announced.

Nana tapped her on the shoulder. "We shouldn't wait. Lucy needs to know right away. And I better be the one to tell her." Her thoughts turned to that unstable dark presence in Lucy's mind. "be safer."

Mayu frowned. "Lucy won't hurt me."

' _Maybe not Lucy.'_  Nana thought.  _However, that other presence.'_ "It'll just make me feel better. Besides, I can tell her what I sensed from him."

Mayu couldn't argue with that." "Ok, if you insist."

Nana took a deep breath and entered the room. Lucy looked up, sensing her distress. It only made Nana more nervous.

"H-Hey, um, Lucy, can I talk to you for a minute? In private."

Lucy raised an eyebrow but still got up and followed Nana out of the room. Once alone, she swallowed and turned to the older Diclonius.

"You have nothing to fear." Said Lucy before she could speak. "I said I would never hurt anyone anymore and I stand by that."

Nana sweat-dropped.  _'It's not exactly_ your _reaction I'm worried about.'_  She thought, thinking of that dark presence in Lucy's mind. "Yes, well, don't freak out over what I'm about to tell you, but when Mayu and I were taking Wanta for a walk, we ran into another Diclonius."

She stopped here, waiting for a reaction. But Lucy didn't seem to care about this in the least. In fact, she seemed to expect Nana to say something more.

"So? Why is this any of my concern?"

"Because," Nana cried, "they're looking for you. Kakuzawa sent them after you."

That got Lucy's attention. "I see. So he hasn't given up. Figures."

"Lucy," Nana cried, "there's something not right about this guy. He's, I don't know, empty." She held up her arms and walked in place in a mechanical fashion. "He's like a robot. Like he has no will of his own. It's really creepy. And he's strong too."

' _A threat!'_  Kaede cried.  _'Someone who wants to take us from Kohta's side. We should look into this.'_

Lucy was reluctant to give into any of her darker side's demands, but she was right about this. "Very well, I will go and see if this person is a threat."

Nana gasped. "You mean you're going to go  _looking_  for him?"

"Yes, it would be better. I wouldn't want to run into him when others are around."

Nana nodded. "Ok, just be careful. He can sneak up on you."

Lucy just smirked as she opened the door. "Our kind can't sneak up on each other. We sense each others emotions."

And she left, going off to find Kenshin. Nana frowned, worried for her friend's sake; more so for Nyu than Lucy. "But… he has no emotions."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Where the hell was this guy? It was a boy, wasn't it? Nana had said 'him'. So where was he? She couldn't sense him anywhere. It was beginning to annoy her. How much longer would she have to look? And it was beginning to look like it would rain soon, and it was getting dark.

' _Perhaps he went back for the day.'_  She thought.

' _Or,'_  said Kaede,  _'perhaps Nana is lying. You should just kill her and-'_

' _Shut up. She was not lying. She's not the type of person to lie or to cause trouble for no reason. She did say something was off about him.'_

The sound of someone whistling at her brought her out of her thoughts. Three boys abouther age were sitting on a bench, watching her. Lucy may not be good with people, but she could tell right away that these were not the type of people to get involved with. They were delinquents.

"Hey, pretty lady," said one of the boys, "are you looking for someone? Your boyfriend perhaps."

"Maybe we can be of help." Said another.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. The tone in his voice suggested that help was the last thing he was offering. "I am fine." She said and continued walking.

She didn't need to look back to know that they were following her, and she didn't need to sense their emotions to tell what their intentions were. She may be unfamiliar with the way the world worked, but she wasn't that naïve. A young woman, all alone in the park after dark, it was very clear what they wanted.

The boys came right up beside her. Lucy just continued to ignore them until they moved in front of her.

"Hey, why don't you forget whoever you're trying to find and come with us." One suggested.

Lucy showed no interest. "Move."

"Oh, don't be like that. We'll show you how to have a good time."

"Yeah," said another, "it'll be a lot of fun."

"We know how to treat a girl right." said the third.

Lucy was getting frustrated, and Kaede certainly wasn't helping.

' _You know what they want. They're despicable. They think they can just take what they want, just like those scientists. Show them they're wrong. Kill them. Kill them all. It'll be fun.'_

"I don't want to have any fun." Lucy replied, talking to both Kaede and the boys.

"Oh, come on, it'll be great. You won't be disappointed."

He grabbed her wrist. Lucy glared down at the offending hand. "Let go."

"How rude." A boy commented. "We offer you a good time, and you throw it back in our faces."

"I think she needs a lesson in manners. I'm sure that once the fun begins, she'll really enjoy herself."

' _They're going to take advantage of you.'_  said Kaede. _'Kill them. Kill them or I will.'_

She felt Kaede fighting for control. And Lucy's dislike for these boys wasn't making it any easier to keep them safe from her darker half. "I said, let go!"

She kicked the boy that grabbed her in the shin. He yelped in pain and released her. "Damn, bitch!" he snarled. He stood up again and slapped her. "How dare you kick me!"

Lucy looked up at him, her hand on her cheek. Kaede was really fighting her now. This was going to turn into a bloodbath unless she got away from them.

And so she made a run for it. The boys chased after her, shouting. Kaede continued to demand that Lucy turn around and kill them.

' _You are stronger than them. You shouldn't run. Kill them. They deserve it. You know what they'll do if they catch you. Come on, fight back. Kill them.'_

' _If I ever kill again, it will be you whose life I take.'_

Lucy was fast, but spending most of her life locked up prevented her from reaching her athletic potential, and the boys soon caught up with her. They surrounded her with victorious smirks on their face.

"Game over, sweetheart. Now why don't you just come along with us?"

"We know a nice little private spot. No one will interrupt us."

The same boy grabbed her wrist again with a much stronger grip. "Come on, let's go."

Lucy tried to pull away, but he was stronger than she was. She dug her heels into the ground as she was dragged, but unable to pull away.

' _Kill them.'_  Kaede told her.  _'Are you going to let them force themselves on you. That's what they're going to do. Let me out. I will stop them.'_

' _No, you'll kill them. I'll get out of this myself.'_

' _Don't be a fool! There's three of them. If you won't kill them, at least fight them off with your vectors.'_

Lucy had tried that, but the moment she reached out with her vectors, Kaede's power over her had increased and she had nearly slaughtered them. If she used her vectors, she might kill them. Damn Kaede.

' _Don't fight me, Lucy. You'll only make it harder on yourself. You may be able to resist me in normal situations, but times like this, when you yourself want to hurt others, you can't resist me!'_

The boy dragging Lucy cried out. He fell to the ground, gripping his wrist, which was now devoid of a hand. He looked up at Lucy and saw that his hand was still holding onto her.

The Diclonius calmly pulled the dismembered hand off and dropped it on the ground. Then she looked up at the three boys with an insane grin on her face.

"Now it's my turn to have some fun."

She lashed out with her vectors. She grabbed the boy on the ground and lifted him up, each vector holding a limb. He screamed in pain as Kaede pulled his arms and legs out of their sockets and ripped them right off his body. His limbless torso fell, and, before he even hit the ground, Kaede struck again, knocking his head right off his shoulders.

"The fuck!" one of the other boys shouted.

They looked at Kaede in horror. She was using her vectors to lift herself in the air, making it look like she was floating.

"Lets get the hell out of here!"

Kaede chuckled. "Not leaving so soon, are you? I thought you wanted to play with me."

She struck again, slicing one of the bys right down the middle. The last boy watched in horror as the two halves of his friend fell away. With one last horrified look at Kaede, he made a run for it.

Kaede just laughed. The poor fool thought he could escape. Well just let him think that. It was so much sweeter crushing someone's hopes. Let him think he would get away, and then attack.

Just before he was out of range of her vectors, she struck. The boy cried out and he fell down. He looked at his legs and saw that his feet were missing, and bloody stumps were in their place.

Like something possessed, Kaede slowly approached the boy, his death in her eyes, a large grin on her face. "You were right, I am having fun with you."

The boys struggled to find his voice. "Y-You're a monster!"

"From your point of view." She told him. "Why don't you look at things from my perspective."

Her vectors shot out. With one clean swipe, she removed his head. And as an added bonus, she picked it up and turned it so the boy was staring at his headless corpse. Kaede knew that after decapitation, a severed head could remain conscious for 15-20 seconds. She decided to literally let the boy see things from her point of view.

"See," she told the head, knowing it could still here her as it looked at its body, "that's the result of me having a good time."

She carelessly tossed the head over her shoulder. That had felt good. She hadn't killed anyone since the escape. Lucy had been serious when she said that she wouldn't kill anyone anymore. It was so frustrating. But her hold on Lucy was getting stronger. A few more incidents like this, and taking over Lucy's mind would be a cinch.

Thunder rumbled in the sky as it began to rain. Kaede smiled and turned her face up towards the sky with her arms outstretched. The rain washed the blood away. If only it could wash away all her problems. As cruel as she was, she too felt the impact of Lucy's past. Only where Lucy wanted to run from her past, Kaede wanted to take revenge for it.

"Lucy?"

Kaede's eyes snapped open. A cruel smirk spread out over her face as she spotted Kohta staring at her in horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Uh oh, there's trouble brewing. We all knw that Lucy would never hurt Kohta, but Kaede is a different story. And there are three body right next to her. So much for her promise to never kill again. Don't miss the confrontation between Kohta and Kaede.)


	10. Kaede and Kohta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Ok, it took me a little longer to update, but I started classes this week, so it took me a little while. So I won't keep you waiting anymore. Enjoy.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

 

**Chapter 10: Kaede and Kohta**

The umbrella fell from his hands as Kohta stared at Lucy in horror, the rain washing the blood from her body. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. She had killed again. Killed after she had promised not to. Killed after she had said she would rather die than keep killing.

But she had lied. There, lying by her feet, were the mutilated corpses of three boys who couldn't have been older than he was. But what disturbed him the most, was not simple the fact that she had killed again, but the look on her face at having done so. Kohta had seen Lucy kill in the past, but she had never been happy about it. This time was different. She had a smile on her face that told him that she had clearly enjoyed what she had done… and wanted to do it again.

"Lucy…" he whispered. "How could you?"

The Diclonius regarded him for a minute before smiling cruelly and slowly approaching him. Kohta was rooted to the spot, unable to move even as she came closer.

"Kohta." She cooed, once she was standing in front of him.

Then, before he could react, she grabbed his face and kissed him. Kohta's eyes widened with shock. He certainly hadn't expected to be kissed at a time like this. And he couldn't help but notice that it wasn't how she had kissed him before. There was something wrong in the way she was kissing him. In fact, everything about her seemed wrong. Her features clearly showed that she was Lucy, but her eyes, her expression, the way she moved, even the tone of her voice, it all said the same thing; that this was  _not_  Lucy.

Kohta pulled away, wiping his mouth in disgust as he stared at the woman before him. "What's going on? What the hell did you do?" The Diclonius just smiled and chuckled. "Answer me, Lucy! What have you done?"

"I am not Lucy."

Her words echoed in his ears. Not Lucy? But it had to be. He knew Lucy when he saw her. He even knew when she was Lucy and when she was Nyu. But then… hadn't his intuition been telling him that this wasn't Lucy? If it wasn't, then what was going on?

"Who are you?" he asked quietly. "What are you?"

She grinned at him. "Call me Kaede. And as I said before, I'm not Lucy. But I also am Lucy."

Kohta took a step back. "What are you talking about? You either are Lucy, or you aren't? It's either one or the other! Which is it?"

"This is not a black or white situation. I reside in the gray area. I am Lucy, but not the Lucy you know." She motioned to a bench near by. "Please, sit, we have much to discuss."

She sat down as if she didn't have a care in the world, as if the rain wasn't pouring down around them, as if there weren't three bodies just a few feet away. Kohta, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to move.

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "I can make you sit down, you know."

That snapped Kohta out of his dazed state and he slowly made his way to the bench, sitting as far away from her as he could.

Kaede smiled at his discomfort and looked up at the clouds as they poured down more rain. "You obviously have questions. Questions you want answers to. Now would be the time to ask them, while I'm still able to answer you."

Kohta wasn't sure what she meant, but he did need answers. He glanced at the bodies one last time, wondering if they should move away from them. Then again, who would come to the park while it was raining like this? And he felt as if he had been completely drained of energy and couldn't bring himself to move.

"Let's start with who you are." He said. "You're not Lucy, that's for sure. So who are you?"

"Kaede."

He glared at her. "Don't talk in riddles. Just give me a straight answer!"

Kaede regarded him for a minute before smiling. "Mt name is Kaede, and I am like Nyu. A separate identity created from Lucy's deranged mind. A third personality, if you will. Much different from Nyu though." She snickered at the look on his face. "Is it so hard to believe? After everything she's been through, she's lucky this is the only thing that's wrong with her."

"Then it was you who killed those boys, not Lucy."

Kaede's smiled vanished and she narrowed her eyes. "They were planning to rape her. She would not do what was necessary, so I stepped in. It's getting easier every time."

"Easier?"

She chuckled. "You need to understand what I am, Kohta. I am all the rage and hostility within her. I am all her instincts telling her to wipe out humanity and fill it with Diclonius. You see, Kohta." She grinned. "Lucy has been shown nothing but cruelty by human hands. That combined with her instincts telling her to kill… Well, you can imagine the affect this had on her conscience. Poor little Lucy, trying so hard to do what is right, to not give in to what she is, to what she should be."

"I don't understand."

"Her mind was split two ways. Part of her wanted to live a life of peace, another part of her wanted to destroy everything in her path. She fought against that side of her for so long. And the abuse and harassment she suffered didn't help." She glanced at him. "You've heard stories about children that have been teased for long periods of time that finally snap and go on killing sprees. In a way, this is what happened to Lucy. The only difference is that it resulted in a split personality on her part. Her, the part of her mind that wanted to live peacefully, and me, the part of her that was pure rage and instinct."

Her shoulder shook as she tried to hold back a laugh. Kohta couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lucy had a split personality, and this side of her was really sick. She was actually laughing about this.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked quietly, talking more to himself than to her.

Kaede just grinned. "Tell me, Kohta, have you heard the story of the birth of Sin?"

Kohta blinked, surprised by her question. "What?"

"I guess not. It's an old biblical story. It's said that after Lucifer was banished from Heaven and thrown into the abyss, he met a demon that was part woman, part snake. She said her name was Sin. And she was born of all his anger, hatred, and jealously. All that incarnated in the flesh." She grinned at this. "I suppose you can say I'm Lucy's version of Sin, only we share a body."

Kohta stood up. "You're sick. You're a sick, twisted, evil-"

"Be careful what you say, Kohta. After all, I owe you for my existence. In fact, you might say you created me."

Shock and horror was written across Kohta's face. "What?"

"Yes." She hissed. "It was you, the last straw, that resulted in my birth."

"What are you talking about?"

The look in her eye indicated that she was going to enjoy what she was about to tell him. "My existence was in the making for a while. The abuse Lucy went through slowly pushed her into insanity. And your lie is what pushed her over the edge."

"Lie?" Kohta had no idea what she was talking about. "What lie?"

"The answer to a question that a young girl in love asked. 'Is your cousin a boy, or a girl'? Do you remember what you said?"

Kohta's memory flashed back to that night so long ago. He had told Lucy that he was going to the festival with his cousin. Clearly worried, Lucy had asked him if his cousin was a boy or a girl. Kohta had panicked. He really liked Lucy a lot. And Lucy had said that she really liked him too. He didn't want her to get jealous or to worry that another girl was going to steal him away. So he had lied. He had told her that his cousin was a boy to spare her from worry and jealousy.

Kaede smiled. "You remember, don't you?"

He slowly nodded. "Yes. But I had a good reason for it. I didn't want her to be upset."

"She saw you." Kohta's eyes widened. "She saw you at the festival, with another girl. Not only did you lie, but you went behind her back to see another woman. You, the person she loved more than anything, who she put all her remaining faith in, betrayed her. Such despair she felt. All her faith, all her hope shattered in that moment. And that's what pushed her over the edge and resulted in my creation. I've been there ever since."

"Ever since." Kohta repeated. "So, this whole time."

"In a manner." She replied. "After my initial, for lack of a better word, birth, I have been, shall we say, in hibernation. Lucy was giving in to her instincts and anger, so I was not needed, and merely slept. Until recently, that is. After Lucy's decision not to kill anymore, I woke up to once again bring out Lucy's Diclonius' killer instinct."

"Why?" Kohta asked. "What for?"

"Because someone has to."

"Has to!" Kohta shouted. "Has to! You're talking about killing people!"

"Yes." Kaede replied. "I am a predator. I enjoy the hunt, the kill. There's nothing greater. And I'm slowly getting stronger." At Kohta's confused look, she continued. "It's just like this situation with these boys. They were going to force themselves on her. She wanted to hurt them, up her conscience and moralities held her back. So that desire to kill got stronger and stronger, giving me more power until I was able to take over." She snickered. "Everyone has a dark side Kohta. Our conscience is just what holds us back from fulfilling those dark desires. To take what you want, to do what you want, to hurt those that have hurt you. I am all these things for Lucy, and they make me stronger. Haven't you ever been so angry with someone that for a brief moment the thought 'I'll kill you' flashes through your mind, even though you'll never act on it. That single thought fuels me. And I get stronger and stronger until I am able to overpower Lucy and act upon those dark thoughts."

Kohta tried to process this. It was all too much to take in.

' _Why didn't she tell me? If Kaede was there all along, then maybe she…'_  His eyes widened in realization. "Tell me, was it Lucy that killed my father and sister, or you?"

Kaede merely grinned and remained silent. Kohta grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"Tell me, damn you! It was you, wasn't it? Lucy's innocent!"

"Not as innocent as you think." Kaede replied. "But I did have a large part of it. When I first came into existence, I spoke to Lucy. I told her things. Told her how to make it all better. In her broken state, it was so easy to get her to go along with everything I said. All it took was a whisper in the ear, and she obeyed. She knew what was happening, she was fully aware of what was going on and could have stopped it, but it was me telling her what to do. She never would have acted otherwise."

"Then it's your fault!" Kohta shouted. "You are responsible! You made her do it!"

"She could have stopped me. At the time I was nothing more than a voice in her head, but I've grown since then. Now I don't need to persuade her. With a small push, I can act on my own." She began laughing evilly. "And it's your fault, Kohta. It's because of you that I came into being. That makes you responsible. For everything! For Lucy's misery, for the deaths of all those people, even your family's! You killed them, Kohta! It's all because of you!"

Without realizing what he was doing, Kohta wrapped his hands around her neck, his eyes wide and filled with rage. "No! No! It's you! It's because of you! You're the one responsible! The deaths of those people, for Lucy's sins and suffering, for the murder of my father and sister, you're the cause of it all!"

His grip around her neck tightened. He wasn't even aware of what he was doing as he strangled her.

"K-Kohta…"

Hearing his name made him realize what he was doing. And who he was doing it to. The girl's eyes were wide and fearful, and very unlike the eyes of Kaede.

"Lucy?" he gasped, releasing her.

Lucy coughed, trying to catch her breath. "It's… it's me…" She coughed a few times. "It's me."

Kohta looked horrified by what he had done, at how he had lost control like that. "I'm… I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean… I didn't mean to…"

She held up her hand, sucking down more air. "It's fine. It's fine." She gave him a sad look of understanding. "I know better than anyone what it's like to be blinded with rage."

The two of them fell silent, not looking at each other. Kohta couldn't even look at her. He didn't know what had come over him. One minute he had been listening to her cruel sadistic words, the next thing he knew his hands had been wrapped around her neck.

"So…" she said quietly, breaking the silence, "you met  _her,_  didn't you?"

Kohta knew exactly who she was talking about. "Yes… I met her."

She smiled sadly and looked down. "That's what I was afraid of."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things have changed now. Lucy is still responsible for Kohta's family's deaths, just not as responsible. How are things going to change between Lucy and Kohta? And what are Kaede's intentions? More to come.)


	11. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Time to set the record straight between Kohta and Lucy dealing with Kaede. The secret's out now. How's Kohta going to react?)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 11: Fight**

Silence passed between them. Kohta had just discovered that the girl he loved, who was responsible for killing his family, had another personality who was the one that made her commit such terrible crimes. What did one say in such a situation? As if things weren't already unbelievably screwed up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked.

Lucy chuckled humorlessly. "Kohta, please, my life is fucked up enough. I didn't want to complicate things further."

"Complicate things?" Kohta repeated. "You've been fighting against this thing inside you this whole time. I could have helped."

"How?" she asked, cutting her eyes at him. "What could you have done to help? Send me to a psychiatrist? Get me group therapy? I can see it now. 'Hello everyone, my name is Lucy, and I've got a split personality that wants me to kill everyone I come in contact with'. Please, Kohta, you're smarter than that."

She had a point. Any attempt to go for help would result in confessing her past, which would get her arrested, sent to hospital for the criminally insane, or, most likely, land her back at the lab.

"I still could have been there for you." he pointed out. "If you had ever needed someone to talk to, or if you felt her taking control-"

"I didn't want you to find out." she interrupted. "I'm afraid of Kaede. I don't know what she'll do. She harbors all my dark desires and Diclonius instincts, and has no conscience or guilt to hold her back from acting on them." She buried her face in her hands. "I'm afraid. I don't want to kill, but she made me want to. She made me not know how to do anything besides kill. She's trying to do it again. But I'm older and smarter now. I won't be fooled by her again. So she's starting to take over. And every negative or violent thought I have only makes her stronger."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "My Diclonius instincts tell me to kill and create a new race of my kind. Although I have no desire to do such things, my biggest anchor is you, Kohta. And that's what scares me. She's inherited my love for you, and that's what's keeping you safe. I'm not sure how long it will keep you safe though. That's why I didn't want you to get involved with this."

"I've always been involved!" Kohta cried, grabbing Lucy's arm. "I've been involved with this since the beginning. How could you keep me in the dark about this? It at least makes me understand better. It lets me know the truth about my family's death."

Lucy wiped her eyes. "Kohta, it  _was_  me that killed your family. It wasn't like a little while ago when she was in complete control over me. I was fully aware and in control of what I was doing?"

Kohta's grip on her tightened. "But it was her that made you do it. You were a child, Lucy, lost and confused. You turned towards the only source of comfort you had left, the only thing you had left. Your Diclonius instincts." He struggled with his next words. "And it was me that pushed you in that direction. Me and the rest of humanity Kaede took advantage of that. I see that now. You weren't making decisions for yourself. She made them, and you acted on them. Although that doesn't excuse you for the murders you've committed, that does lessen your guilt. It also makes you a victim as much as the people that you killed. You may have killed them, but it was Kaede that made you kill them."

"Kohta-"

"You wouldn't have considered killing anyone if it wasn't for Kaede, would you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, but-"

"And that's what makes all the difference."

Lucy looked at him with wide eyes. He suddenly surprised her by pulling her into his arms. "K-Kouta?"

"I'm glad I know. Even if there is nothing I can do for you, even if it does put me in danger, I'm still glad I know. I don't hate you, Lucy, but I do despise Kaede more than anything for what she did to me. For what she did to you. I can never forgive her for her sins. But…" he pulled out of the hug and looked into her eyes, "I think I can forgive you."

His words shocked her to the core. He could… forgive her? She didn't think it was possible. She never even considered there to be even the smallest chance that he'd forgive her.

"How?" she asked. "How could you possibly forgive me?"

He gave her a smile. "Because I hate the person that shot the gun, not the gun itself."

It was like an enormous weight was lifted off her shoulders. She couldn't have been happier. Her feelings overwhelmed her, causing more tears to flow down her cheeks.

"Oh, Kohta." She whispered. "Kohta, I… I…"

' _As touching as this is,'_  Kaede interrupted,  _'I need you focused on what's happening around you.'_

Her body suddenly moved on its own as Kaede momentarily took control of her. She wrapped her arms around Kohta and tackled him to the ground. Lucy thought that Kaede was forcing her to attack Kohta, but then a moment later, the bench they had been sitting on shattered as if something tore through it.

"What the?" Kohta cried.

' _Behind you!'_  Kaede cried.

Lucy turned to see another Diclonius staring at her. Now that she saw him, she was aware of his presence. But she couldn't sense anything from him. There was no emotion whatsoever.

' _This must be the one Mayu and Nana were talking about.'_  Here eyes narrowed.  _'But I didn't sense him at all.'_

Kenshin lashed out with his vectors again. Being a Diclonius, Lucy could see them, and was quick to dodge, bringing Kohta with her.

"Is that him?" Kohta asked, "The Diclonius sent to kill you? Kenshin?"

"Is that is name?"

Kenshin looked at them with no emotion. "Yes, I am Kenshin."

He lashed out again and Lucy dodged as she dragged Kohta along. She may have sworn not to kill again, but she never said anything about fighting. She  _would_  defend herself. But it would be a lot easier if Kohta weren't in danger.

"Kohta, get out of here." she said.

He gave her a look of disbelief. "What?"

"Leave!" She pushed him away from her and then jumped away as Kenshin's vectors shot out again. "He's after me! Just get somewhere safe."

Using her vectors, she launched herself into the air and away from Kohta. Without paying him any mind, Kenshin mimicked Lucy's move, soaring after her.

Lucy continued to move, trying to get as far away from Kohta as possible. She managed to exit the park, but Kenshin was right behind her. One of his vectors flew out and knocked her out of the air just as she launched herself again.

She came crashing down, Kenshin landing a short distance away. His vectors shot out and one pierced the ground right by her head. Another came down on the other side of her head, and then two more by her waist, pinning her down.

"Damn you." she seethed.

Kenshin portrayed no emotion as he looked at her. "Kill Lucy." He said. "That's what I was told to do."

"I'm used to it by now." she replied. "I can't catch a fucking break anywhere."

Kenshin cocked his head to the side. "Do you want me to break you?"

She gave him a strange look. Was that his attempt at humor? She doubted it. This person didn't seem like the type of person to make jokes.

' _He's a result of those damned scientists twisted experiments.'_  Kaede told her.  _'Let me loose. I shall kill him for you. I'll put him out of his misery.'_

' _I don't need you!'_

Her vectors few out, knocking Kenshin's away. She used them to get to her feet and then held them out in a threatening matter.

Kenshin regarded her for a moment. "You're vectors are only six feet long. Mine are twenty-five."

Lucy growled irritably. "That figures."

Kenshin's vectors flew at her. Lucy caught them with her own vectors, invisible palms grasped to invisible palms. They pushed against each other with all their strength. Slowly Kenshin's vectors were pushed back, allowing Lucy to move closer.

"Your vectors may be longer than mine," she said, "but I'm the queen of our race. Mine are stronger than anyone's."

Kenshin's facial expression didn't react at all to this. But suddenly two more vectors burst from his back and flew at her. Lucy's eyes widened in shock and she jumped back, just missing being slaughtered.

' _He has six vectors?'_

She didn't have time to ponder on this as Kenshin used his vectors to rip a street light right out of the ground. He swung it at Lucy like a bat. She reacted by wrapping her vectors around herself to create an invisible shield. They protected her from the blow, but the impact still knocked her off her feet.

The moment she hit the ground, she felt an invisible hand wrap round her ankle. She was lifted in the air, her vectors held tightly by Kenshin's as his extra two held her. She glared down at Kenshin, who merely looked back at her.

"He told me to kill you, but he also wanted me to try and bring you back if I could." He cocked his head to the side. "I don't know which I should do."

Lucy continued to struggle. "I'd rather die than go back to that place."

"Ok."

He calmly walked over to a bridge and stood by the railing. The director had told him to try and make the kill clean so it would draw less attention. So that's what he was going to do.

He brought Lucy down until she reached the water, submerging her head. Lucy continued kicking and struggling, but was unable to break free. Kenshin continued to watch her thrashing form, not seeming to care that he was drowning her.

Finally Lucy's movements died down and she went limp. It was almost over now, but he could still feel her heart beating. Just a little longer. A minute or two more.

"Hey, you!"

Kenshin turned and a fist suddenly slammed into his jaw. Dropping Lucy's unconscious form, he fell over.

"Where is she?" Kohta demanded, rubbing his knuckle. "What the hell did you do with her?"

Not showing the slightest bit of pain, Kenshin got to his feet. "She's gone now."

Kouta looked over the railing. He saw nothing but the rain falling on the water.

"She's down there?"

"I drowned her." Kenshin replied. "A clean kill."

Kohta's grip on the railing tightened. "No! LUCY!"

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Down beneath the surface, Lucy's body slowly sank deeper. The muffled sound of Kohta calling her name reached her ears and her eyes snapped open. She looked up, seeing both Kohta and Kenshin standing on the bridge.

A cruel sadistic smile crossed her face.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohta's eyes were wide with horror as he stared at the water.

"Why?" he whispered. He turned back to Kenshin with tears in his eyes. "Why? Why did you do that? What'd she do to you?"

Kenshin was as calm as ever as he replied. "Nothing. She said she would rather die than go back, so I killed her."

"Damn you!" He grabbed Kenshin's shirt, not caring that the Diclonius could kill him with the greatest of ease. "What's wrong with you people? Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave her alone?"

"I don't know."

"Don't know? How can you not know? Unlike Lucy, you're choosing to do these things! You sick bastard! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

But Kenshin wasn't watching him anymore. He was looking down. At their feet? Kohta unconsciously looked down as well. They were suddenly thrown backwards as the ground all but exploded and they were both soaked with salt water.

Wiping the water out of his eyes, Kohta looked up to see Lucy. No, not Lucy. She was holding herself wrong, and she was looking at Kenshin with a hungry look in her eyes. But even though it was Kaede that now stood before him, Kohta was just glad that she was alive.

Kenshin slowly got to his feet. He looked at Kaede for a few moments, cocking his head to the side.

"You're not her." he commented. "You're different."

Kaede chuckled. "Very different."

She lashed out with her vectors. Two bloody gashes appeared across Kenshin's chest in an X pattern. Giving no reaction to the pain, Kenshin merely looked down at his bleeding chest. A moment later, one of Kaede's vectors did a powerful uppercut, sending Kenshin flying through the air and over the railing.

Kaede snickered as she heard him splash into the water. "I wonder if he'll attract sharks with that wound. They can smell a teaspoon of blood a mile away." She turned back to Kohta and smirked. "You seem both relieved and upset at the same time. Probably because it was me that came up and not your Lucy."

Kohta stood up. "I know that she's in there though." He grasped her shoulders and looked right in her eyes. "Lucy, I know you're there! Come back! I know you can! This is your body, she's nothing but an illusion, a shadow of the real you! Come back now!"

Kaede grinned at Kohta's desperate attempt to get Lucy back. Didn't the fool realize that it didn't work like that?"

But her grin faded as she felt Lucy creep up in her mind. The girl was strong and very determine, especially for someone who lost everything over and over again.

' _You don't quit, do you?'_  she thought to her other half.

' _I don't need you to protect me or run my life!'_  Lucy shouted back as she struggled to regain control.

Kaede grinned.  _'So you say. It won't last much longer though. Enjoy it while you can.'_

And just like that, Lucy was in control again. Her strength gave out and she fell to her knees.

"Lucy?" Kohta asked.

Feeling drained, she nodded. Then she felt Kohta's arms around her. This was getting serious. She knew that this time the only reason she had regained control was because Kaede had allowed it. How much longer before Kaede was permanently in the drivers seat?

She didn't have long to dwell on it though. Kenshin resurfaced from beneath the bridge and looked up.

"She's back." He muttered.

He lashed out with his vectors, striking the bridge itself, tearing right through it.

Lucy quickly grabbed hold of Kohta and used her vectors to launch the two of them into the air and off the bridge, just as it collapsed beneath them. They landed safely on the ground and watched as the whole bridge came crashing down into the water.

Feeling lightheaded and completely devoid of strength, Lucy grabbed hold Kohta. He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her on her feet.

"Did you see that?" he asked in amazement. "The whole thing just collapsed."

Lucy nodded. "He did it. He tried to bring us down with it."

Kohta looked at the water, but Kenshin was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he? Is he dead?"

Lucy also looked at the water. "I don't sense anything from him."

Not knowing that that could still mean that Kenshin was alive, Kohta assumed that the other Diclonius had died. "So what now?"

Lucy groaned and leaned into him. "Take me home." She whispered, and then fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Poor Lucy can never catch a break. There's always someone after her. But is Kenshin really dead? I'm leaving you in the dark about that for now. Stay tuned for the next chapter.)


	12. Mayu's Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: WARNING! Ok so everyone knows about Mayu's past, about what her stepfather did to her, well that will be creeping up in this chapter, so I just wanted to warn everyone. Read at your own risk.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 12: Mayu's Revenge**

Mayu was concerned. She had been worried ever since Kohta had returned with Lucy's unconscious form. She had known what had happened even before Kohta had explained it.

It was Kenshin, the Diclonius she and Nana had met. Kohta said that he was dead, either crushed or drowned beneath the bridge. Nana didn't seem to think so, and neither did Lucy. They never openly said it, but Mayu could tell by the way they behaved. They were worried.

Mayu sighed sadly. She didn't want anyone to get hurt. There had already been far too much pain and death. When was it going to stop?

Deep down, she knew the answer to that. It wouldn't stop until this Kakuzawa guy was dead. He was the root of all evil here. He was the reason Lucy and Nana suffered. He was the reason they were constantly hunted. And she knew that it wouldn't stop until he was dead.

' _But why does it have to be this way?'_  she thought sadly.  _'Why all this suffering? Why all this death?'_

She wanted to help. She wanted to make it all stop. But how? How could she help?

Her thoughts turned to Kenshin. He too was on the list of people she wanted to help. Regardless of the little mishaps that had occurred when she, Nana, and Lucy had run into him, she didn't think that he was a bad person. Granted, he wasn't a good person either. He just… was. He was literally on the line that divided good and evil.

But perhaps that could be changed. Kenshin didn't seem to have any good or bad intentions. He just seemed to act for others because he seemed to be incapable of thinking for himself, as strange as that sounded. Maybe he just needed a friend, someone he could talk to and who could help him.

Coming to a decision, she turned to Nana, who was sitting mesmerized in front of the TV. "Hey, Nana, could you watch Wanta for a little while?"

The Diclonius turned to her. "Sure, but why? Where are you going?"

Mayu motioned for Nana's ear and whispered to her. "I'm going to go find Kenshin."

Nana's eyes widened. "YOU'RE GOING TO GO FIND-"

Mayu clamped her hand over Nana's mouth. "Shh, I don't want the others to know. They'll just be worried."

Nana moved Mayu's hand away. "Mayu, you can't! He's really dangerous. You saw what he did to the bridge, what he did to Lucy. And remember how he strangled me."

Mayu nodded. "Yes, I remember. But I think we may have provoked him. I really don't think he wanted to hurt anyone. I think we might be able to be friends."

Nana didn't share her optimism. "No, he'll kill you."

"I don't think he will. I just want to try to talk to him. I think I can get him to stop." Nana opened her mouth to say something, but Mayu cut her off. "Just promise you won't tell anyone. I don't want them to worry, or to interrupt us. Just give me a chance."

Nana made a small fearful noise. "Mayu… I don't know if I can promise that."

Mayu took Nana's hand. "Please, Nana, just give me a chance. Trust me, everything will be fine." She held up her pinky. "Swear it."

Nana looked at Mayu's finger in confusion. Slowly she grabbed Mayu's finger and shook it. The human chuckled and shook her head.

"No, like this." She curled her finger around Nana's, doing a pinky-swear. "It's a promise. If you tell, you have to swallow a thousand needles."

Nana turned paler than usual. "I-I do?"

Mayu nodded. "Yup, so no telling anyone. You promised."

She gave her a wink and then hurried away. Nana made a sad noise and looked at the finger she had sworn on. "I didn't know that's what it meant."

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It wasn't until some time later that Mayu realized that she had absolutely no idea where Kenshin was or how to find him. Running into him that first time had been a fluke. So how would she find him now? She didn't want to go around town asking if anyone had seen a boy with magenta eyes, pink hair, and horns.

"I didn't think this through." She realized.

Maybe she should have brought Wanta; dogs were supposed to be good trackers. Then again, she didn't have anything with Kenshin's scent on it. And the whole reason she had left Wanta behind was because she was afraid that Kenshin might feel threatened by him.

"Maybe Mr. Bando can help me find him."

The strange man was supposed to be good at finding people, wasn't he? Then again, she was running into the same problem. She had no idea where he was or how to find him.

"I'll check there." She decided, referring to the place she had seen him last.

True, it was doubtful that he would be there, but she had to start somewhere, she had nothing else to go by. And so she returned to the alley she had last seen him. Predictably, he wasn't there, not that she expected him to be.

She was disappointed. As cruel and as brutal as Bando seemed to be, Mayu really cared about him. She had saved his life, and such an act had created a special bond between the two of them. And a bond like that was not easily broken. Even if he did almost strangle her, and even if he was hunting one of her friends.

"I wonder if I'll ever see him again." she wondered out loud.

"Of course you will." came a familiar voice. Mayu tensed up, the color draining from her face. She turned around and saw a familiar man watching her. The man smiled at her. "After all, I didn't think I'd get to see you again, but here you are." He chuckled. "Aren't you going to say hi?"

Taking a step back, Mayu gulped. "H-Hi, Mr. Arisaka."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

She couldn't do it. Promise or not, Nana couldn't keep the promise she made to Mayu. She was just too worried. Her friend could bleeding to death on the ground somewhere; that is, if Kenshin hadn't simply decapitated her.

There was no helping it. She would have to tell. Even if she did end up having to swallow a thousand needles. Slowly she entered the room where Lucy sat reading a book. Nana gulped and carefully approached her.

"Um, Lucy…"

The Diclonius queen continued reading. "Mmm?"

Nana shifted around nervously. "Well, um, you see… It's just that… Well, I sort of…"

Lucy gave an impatient sigh, putting down her book. "I told you before, I'm not going to hurt you. So stop acting like you're walking towards your death whenever you come close to me. Now tell me what you want."

"R-Right!" She paused for a moment, calming her racing heart. "It's Mayu. I'm worried about Mayu."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What about her?"

"Well… she doesn't seem to think that Kenshin is that bad of a guy."

"He's not." Lucy replied, surprising Nana. "He's not a bad guy, but he is extremely dangerous."

Nana nodded. "That's what I'm afraid of. She went looking for him."

"What?" Lucy jumped to her feet. "What in the hell is that girl thinking?"

Nana flinched under Lucy's anger. "S-She thinks that if she talks to him, she can get him to leave you alone, maybe even be friends."

Lucy groaned. "How stupid can you be?" She sighed. "Fine, I'll go look for her. Just don't tell Kohta and Yuka where I've gone."

Nana nodded. "I didn't want to worry them. Besides if they run into Kenshin, they wouldn't be able to do anything. That's why I came to you."

"How considerate." Lucy muttered sarcastically.

She walked past the younger Diclonius and was about to leave the room when Nana stopped her.

"Hey, Lucy, do you know where the needles are?"

Lucy stopped and gave her a confused look. "Needles? What do you need needles for?"

Nana's shoulders sank. "Well, I broke my promise with Mayu by telling you. Now I have to swallow a thousand needles."

"Swallow a thous…" Lucy groaned irritably. "No you don't, you damned idiot!" She stormed out of the room, grumbling, "Swallow a thousand needles."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The man, Mr. Arisaka, chuckled. "Aw, Mayu, I told you, don't call me that." He grinned. "Call me Daddy."

Mayu backed away, shaking her head. "You're not my father. My real father is in Heaven."

Mr. Arisaka snickered. "How cute."

He stepped closer to her. Mayu continued to back away until her back hit the wall. She closed her eyes tightly as the man brought his face close to hers and breathed deeply, inhaling her scent. "I missed you." he said, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "I really missed you."

Mayu pushed his hand away. "Stop it! Don't touch me! Don't you ever touch me again!"

He tightly grasped her shoulders. "Now is that any way to speak to your father?"

"You are  _not_  my father!"

He slapped her, knocking the girl off her feet. "How dare you talk to me like that? I knew letting you go was a mistake. You've forgotten your lessons, Mayu. I'm going to have to teach you how to be a good girl all over again." He cracked his knuckles. "Soon you'll be Daddy's little girl once more."

Mayu sat up, her lips bleeding. "I'm not your little girl. I have new guardians now, people that actually love and care about me."

Mr. Arisaka grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "I love you too, Mayu. I love you a lot."

Mayu pulled away from him. "You don't love me! You're nothing but a rapist."

She turned to run, but Mr. Arisaka wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "I prefer you to call me you're lover."

"NO!" Mayu shouted, struggling against him as she felt his lips against her neck. "No more! Not again! Not ever again!"

"Don't fight." He told her, stroking her hair. "You know you like it." He rubbed his cheek against hers. "You're so soft."

"LET GO! LET ME GO!"

"Yes." Mr. Arisaka hissed. "I love it when you scream. Be as loud as you want. No one is coming."

"Wrong."

At the unexpected voice, Mr. Arisaka turned to find a certain pink haired girl glaring at him from the shadows.

His eyes drifted over her curvy body.  _'Too old for my taste.'_  He thought. "Get out of her, girl." He said, covering Mayu's mouth so she couldn't scream.

Lucy looked at him in complete disgust. "Let her go."

"I'm her father, bitch!" Mr. Arisaka snapped. "How I deal with my own daughter is my business."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Stepdaughter, you mean." She noted his surprised look. "That's right, I know. And I also know that you have no claim over her anymore. Both you and you're so-called wife turned over her guardianship to Kohta and Yuka."

Mr. Arisaka's eyes narrowed. "I see, so you know my little girl from somewhere." He glanced at Mayu. "A friend of yours?"

Mayu gave the Diclonius a desperate look, tears pouring down her cheeks. And the man holding her seemed to be getting off on it. Getting off by scaring and molesting a little girl. The sick pedophiliac bastard!

Mr. Arisaka chuckled. "Well, I say that she's been a bad girl and can't play with her friends right now. So move along, miss. It's time for father and daughter to spend some quality time toge- AH!"

Something grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Mr. Arisaka cried out and released Mayu as Lucy continued turning his arm the wrong way with her vectors. Mayu hurriedly scrambled over to Lucy, cowering behind her.

"You ok?" Lucy asked, keeping her hate filled eyes on Mayu's stepfather.

Mayu rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, I think so."

Mr. Arisaka continued groaning in pain. "What… what the hell is this?"

"Shut up!" Lucy snapped. She lifted him up in the air by his twisted arm, causing him even greater pain as he hung with his arm bent the wrong way. "You sick twisted fuck. You're lucky I don't rip you apart."

Mr. Arisaka's face was twisted in pain. "Stop… Please…"

At hearing his pleas, Mayu's fury ignited and she came out from behind Lucy. "You have a lot of nerve to beg. How many times have I begged you to stop? How many times have you  _raped_  me, no matter how many times I've pleaded with you?"

Feeling Mayu's anger, Lucy twisted Mr. Arisaka arm even more. The bone finally snapped. Mr. Arisaka cried out as he was left dangling in the air with a broken arm that was twisted the wrong way.

"What do you want me to do?" Lucy asked Mayu. "Just tell me and I'll do it."

There was a chuckle in the back of her mind that came from Kaede.  _"Really, you'll even kill him if she asks? It would certainly serve him right. Go ahead, do it. Vow or no vow, I can tell that you want to kill him. You want to give him a slow painful death. Don't bother to deny it."_

Lucy had to admit it, the thought was  _very_  tempting. But she had to push those thoughts aside. Even the slightest negative intention made Kaede stronger.

Mayu hadn't replied to what Lucy had said. Finally the tables had turned. For so long she had been at her stepfather's mercy. He'd molested her more times than she could remember, he'd beaten her mother and turned her into a different person that Mayu no longer recognized. This was her chance to make him pay for everything he'd done.

"I should say it." she said quietly. "I should tell her to kill, to rip out your limbs, to snap your neck, to tear your guts out!" Angry tears ran down her cheeks. "I could do it. And you wouldn't be able to stop me. She'd do it too, make you suffer as you made my mother and me suffer. You made my own mother hate and reject me out of jealously. You put your filthy hand son me. I hate you. I hate you! I  _HATE_  YOU!"

Openly weeping now, she dropped to her knees. "I want to. I really do." She sniffed. "But I can't." She looked up at Mr. Arisaka with hate and disgust. "I won't do it. I'm not like you. I don't take advantage of other people. I don't enjoy other people's suffering." She glared at him for a moment before turning her back on him. "And I don't plan on letting you control me any longer. I've had enough. I'm letting go of my past. My real father is dead, and you'll never be him. I have a new mother, a new father, a new life. And you're no longer a part of it." She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm not afraid of you anymore."

And to prove her point, she walked past him, deliberately bumping into him hard, sending a jolt of pain through him. "Come on, Lucy, let's go."

Lucy stared at Mayu with a look of awe on her face. The young girl astounded her. She didn't know what she would have done if she were in Mayu's position. She just may have broken her vow not to kill again.

With a stern look on her face, she walked up to Mr. Arisaka, looking directly into her eyes. "Listen to me, you sick piece of shit, if you ever come near her again, then this," she twisted his arm further, "will feel pleasurable compared to what I will do to you."

She threw him against the wall, using as much force as possible. Without another glance at him, she went after Mayu, catching up with her.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

Rubbing her eyes, Mayu nodded. "Yes, he didn't really do anything to me."

"I should have gotten here sooner." Which reminded her of the reason why she had come looking for her. "Speaking of which, just what the hell are you doing out here anyway?"

Mayu looked away from her. "I was… trying to find Kenshin."

"And why would you want to do a stupid thing like that."

Mayu continued looking at her feet. "I just thought that… maybe if I could talk to him again… I didn't think he was all that bad."

Lucy sighed. Pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Even if you're right, he's very unstable. He could snap at any moment and attack you without meaning to. Listen to me Mayu, his mental state is very bad. There is no telling how he will react. He could kill you whether he wants to or not. Do you understand?"

Mayu frowned. "I guess I didn't think of that." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I was only trying to help."

Unsure of how to react, Lucy rested a hand on the girl's shoulder. "And I appreciate it. But it's in your best interest, and mine as well, that you just stay out of this. Please, Mayu, for my sake, don't get involved."

Mayu nodded and surprised Lucy by hugging her. Uncertainly, Lucy's arms slowly came up around Mayu, returning the hug. She felt her shirt getting wet and realized that Mayu was crying.

"Thank you for saving me." said Mayu. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't…"

A strange feeling of protectiveness suddenly overcame Lucy. It surprised her, and she had to fight the urge to run back down the alley and slaughter Mayu's miserable excuse of a parent.

"We've both suffered." She said. "But soon things will turn out alright. I've come to believe that after all our pain, we will soon be able to live our lives in peace."

Mayu looked up at her hopefully. "Do you really believe that?"

In the back of her mind, Lucy felt Kaede chuckle at the false statement. But even with this dark presence in her mind, Lucy's thoughts turned to Kohta's smiling face and his warm embrace.

"Yes," she whispered, ignoring Kaede, "I really believe that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yeah, so a little female bonding after Lucy saved Mayu from her bastard stepfather. I was so hoping he would die in the anime. Oh well. It looks like Mayu never did get a chance to see Kenshin, if he's even still alive. I never said that he was, just that Lucy and Nana thought he was. Se where things go from next chapter.)


	13. Touch and Slaughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: WARNING! First I want to say that I'm sorry for the wait, but I've had a lot on my plate. Next I must warn everyone that there is a very violent scene in this chapter that may push the 'T' rating. The scene will have Kaede at her most sadistic. Read at your own risk.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 13: Touch and Slaughter**

Lucy couldn't stand it any longer. Kaede just wouldn't shut up. Ever since she'd ran into Mayu's stepfather, there had been the feeling that justice hadn't been served. What that man had done to Mayu was unforgivable. And the fact that he was walking around freely with nothing more than a broken arm was infuriating.

Kaede was feeding on that. There had been the desire to kill at that moment, but Lucy hadn't done it. This was both good and bad. It was good because, of course, she hadn't killed, but it was bad because the desire to kill was unsatisfied, which strengthening Kaede. And she wouldn't let Lucy forget about it, which only made the desire to kill grow, therefore making Kaede even stronger.

' _Can you imagine little Mayu's cries as he raped her again and again? And her mother just let it happen. No, she actually blamed her daughter for it happening. They're the scum of the earth. Killing them will make this world a better place.'_

Lucy covered her ears, although this did nothing to block out the voice.  _'Shut up! Just shut the hell up!'_

"Lucy, are you ok?"

Coming back to her senses, Lucy looked at Yuka, who had asked the question. They were all currently sitting down for dinner while she had her mental argument.

"Fine." She lied. "Just a headache."

Mayu gave her a concerned look. "You've been getting those a lot."

' _Can't imagine why?'_  Lucy thought sarcastically to Kaede. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

She didn't want the others to worry. Aside from Kohta, no one else knew of her third personality. It would only cause trouble if the others knew. And they had more than enough problems.

' _Didn't know you were so caring towards any humans besides Kohta.'_  Kaede told her.  _'Do you think of this little group as your family? Even Yuka, you're love rival?'_

Lucy's gaze shifted to Yuka. Love rival she may be, Yuka had been nothing but kind to her. Was Lucy jealous of her? Yes. Did she hate her? No. Did she  _want_  to hate her? Yes. But, damn it, she couldn't. She really had come to care for these people.

' _Touching.'_  Kaede chuckled.  _'So you really do care for them. That's a shame, because we'll eventually have to kill all humans.'_

Lucy's flashed violently.  _'I won't let you. No, you will not hurt them.'_

There was a moment Kaede was silent, then she spoke again.  _'Very well. You can at least buy them time.'_

Her vectors suddenly burst from her body. Only Nana, being able to see them, reacted. But one of the vectors closed around her throat in a threatening manor. She remained perfectly still, her eyes wide with terror and fixed on Lucy. She could once again feel that dark presence within her.

Lucy's other three vectors went straight for the three humans. With a great deal of effort, Lucy managed to stop them before they touched. Kohta, Yuka, and Mayu just continued eating, unaware that they had been just a few inches away from being what could be death.

Lucy was trembling with the effort to hold her vectors still while Kaede attempted to try and touch the others.  _'What… what are you doing?'_

' _Calm yourself. I am not going to kill them. I am merely going to infect them with the Diclonius gene.'_

' _What?'_

' _You don't want them dead, so I will make use of them. I shall spread the Diclonius gene into them, so any children they have will be Diclonius.'_

' _No!'_  Lucy gasped. She wouldn't allow that. What if their children ended up being tormented as she was? What if Kakuzawa got his hands on them? She wouldn't make her friends suffer the curse of having Diclonius children.

' _I don't even need to infect Kohta.'_  Kaede told her.  _'Any children the two of you have will be Diclonius no matter what. As for the other two, since they will be aiding us in populating the Diclonius race, I'll let them live awhile longer.'_  She chuckled.  _'But I will kill them eventually, for they are nothing but pawns in my game. And pawns must be sacrificed in order to win.'_

' _THIS ISN'T SOME FUCKING CHESS GAME!'_  Lucy shouted to her.  _'Leave them alone!'_

While Kohta, Yuka, and Mayu remained oblivious to nearly having their DNA mutated, Nana watched the inner battle that took place in Lucy's mind. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew that some dark presence had seized control of Lucy and was controlling her. Lucy was fighting back, but her strength seemed to be weakening.

' _Fight it, Lucy.'_  She thought desperately.  _'Whatever it is, you have to fight it.'_

Lucy's nails dug into her palms as she used all her willpower to gain control over her vectors again. She couldn't pull them back, but at least she was preventing Kaede from extending her reach.

' _Your resistance is futile.'_  Kaede told her.  _'You are but delaying the inevitable.'_

The vector keeping a hold on Nana suddenly let her go. Before either Lucy or Nana could react, that same vector formed a fist and came flying back, punching Lucy in the jaw.

Lucy grunted in pain. She had been punched by her own vector. She didn't even know that was possible. But Kaede hadn't been trying to hurt her, merely disorientate her for a moment. Once Lucy came back to her senses, her eyes widened in terror.

Kohta, Yuka, and Mayu all had one of Lucy's vectors touching them. They may not have been able to see them, but they certainly felt them. They each shivered as they felt the Diclonius gene spread inside them, turning them into breeding machines for the Diclonius race, just as Kaede wanted. It was too late. Lucy had failed to stop it. Any children the three of them had would be Diclonius, and nothing could be done to reverse it.

"No!" Lucy cried, jumping to her feet.

The three humans gave her a surprised look. Nana's was one of sympathy. She knew what had just happened. Lucy had been unable to prevent this other presence from infecting the others.

"You ok?" Yuka asked.

"Yeah, you're paler than usual." Kohta noted.

Lucy backed away. In her failure, her willpower came crumbling down. Kaede was taking control.

"I-I'm… fine…" she managed to get out as she stumbled away. "I just have to… to lay down…"

She fled the kitchen, heading straight for her room and collapsing on the bed. Her body was shaking in her effort to maintain control.

' _You've lost this battle.'_  Kaede told her.

' _No.'_  Lucy thought back.

"Yes." Said Kaede, now in control of her mouth. "Your anger and hatred for Mayu's stepfather have strengthened me enough to come forth again."

Lucy knew that control was lost, but she still managed to say one more thing before Kaede took over completely. "Don't… Don't you dare… hurt my… friends…"

Kaede chuckled. "Don't be foolish. They're on my side of the board now. I won't kill them until they've used up their usefulness. Until then" she grinned evilly, "I'll take good care of them."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Lucy hadn't come out of her room since leaving the table. Mayu had been really concerned about her. That is, until later that night she had been asked to come into her room.

It was strange though. Whether it had been Lucy or Nyu, Mayu had never felt any uneasiness around the Diclonius. But something was different this time. Mayu wasn't sure what it was, but as she sat on Lucy's bed, she sensed something different, something… dark about her friend.

"Is everything ok, Lucy?" she asked worriedly.

The Diclonius didn't even look at her. She merely stared out the window with a dark look in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Nothing is the matter. I'm actually feeling pretty good right now."

Mayu blinked. "Are you sure? You've seemed sort of… distracted ever since…"

She trailed of and looked away. She didn't need to finish. Lucy had been acting strangely ever since she had met Mayu's stepfather.

Kaede chuckled. "Yes, I have been distracted, as you put it. There have been many things on my mind since  _that_  time." Her eyes shifted to Mayu's reflection in the mirror. "Tell me, why didn't you have him killed?" She heard Mayu's intake of breath. "Why not? I was willing to put out any punishment. All you did was shout at him. So why?"

Mayu looked away from her. She stared at her feet, unable to look at Lucy. "To what cause? No punishment anyone could have given him would change what he did to me. That past had been haunting me for so long. I just wanted to bury it. Besides, I couldn't possible allow harm to come to another person, even someone as sick and twisted as him." She looked up at her friend. "And I didn't want you to have his dirty blood on your hands. He wasn't worth it."

Kaede was having a hard time trying not to laugh. This girl and her compassion were utterly pathetic. It was disgusting. Who wouldn't want to take revenge on a person who committed such a sin? Hell, Lucy wanted to take revenge, and she hadn't even been the one Mr. Arisaka had wronged.

"Still," she turned around to face Mayu, "I'm concerned. That man, I know his type." She walked over to Mayu and looked into her eyes. "He'll come for you again. When you're alone and there's no one to protect you, he'll come. And this time he won't ever let you go."

She saw fear flicker across Mayu's face. Good, that was just what she wanted, what she needed to get the information she desired.

"He only left because you had someone there to protect you. He needs to know that even if you're all alone that he can't touch you." She gripped Mayu's shoulders. "Mayu, I need to talk to him one more time. Your mother too. I want them to know that I am and always will be protecting you."

Mayu frowned. "Didn't he get the message after you broke his arm?"

Kaede's eyes narrowed in irritation. "That can be passed off as a fluke. He could see it as a mere coincidence that I was there to help you. No, I must have words with him so he will know beyond doubt that you are completely off limits. Of course," she grinned, "I need to know where he and your mother live."

Mayu looked down and seemed to consider the Diclonius' words. Kaede's eyes shined with anticipation, even as Lucy silently screamed for Mayu to remain silent.

"You… just want to talk?" Mayu asked.

Slowly Kaede nodded. "I'll make sure he never comes near you again."

Mr. Arisaka was in a foul mood. Ever since he had come home with a severely broken arm, he'd been angry about everything. And he had refused to say what happened. His wife had made the mistake of trying to get an answer out of him and now suffered a black eye and several bruises as a result.

"Where's my damn dinner!" he shouted angrily to his wife.

Mayu's mother quickly hurried into the room carrying a tray with his dinner on it. She set it down in front of him, bowed, then made to leave. But the tray suddenly being thrown against the wall made her stop.

"How the hell am I supposed to eat something like that with one arm?" he demanded angrily. "Do I have to knock some more sense into you?"

His wife flinched. "I'm… sorry…"

"Apologies don't fill my stomach. Now go make something else after you clean up this mess." He grabbed a bottle sitting on the table and drained its contents. "And get me more sake."

As his wife rushed about to fulfill his orders, the doorbell suddenly rang. Mr. Arisaka growled in irritation, smashing his empty bottle on the table.

"Who the hell is that so late?" He glanced at his wife, who was cleaning up the mess he made. "Bitch, go answer the damn door!"

"Y-Yes." She said, and hurried to the door.

The moment she opened the door it happened. A powerful force knocked her off her feet and she landed painfully on the floor.

"The fuck is this?" Mr. Arisaka cried.

Their visitor stepped inside. Mr. Arisaka's eyes widened as he recognized the girl with pale skin and pink hair. The color drained from his face and he stepped back.

"No… it's you."

Kaede grinned. "Yes, and this time, you're my prey."

Mr. Arisaka turned to run, but Kaede's vectors shot out. Mr. Arisaka came crashing down, his legs severed from his body.

"Going somewhere?" Kaede asked sarcastically. "I insist that you stick around."

Mayu's mother looked up at Kaede. "Who are you?"

The Diclonius glared down at her, ignoring the question. "So, you're Mayu's miserable excuse for a mother." Her vectors shot out, each one grabbing a limb. "Nice to meet you."

Mayu's mother cried out as Kaede crushed both her arms and her legs. Broken bone burst through the skin, spraying blood everywhere. Kaede frowned at the woman's cries of pain.

"What's wrong? Does this hurt?" She ripped the woman's arms out of their sockets. "You've got a lot of nerve to scream in pain after hearing your daughter cry out night after night while that pig of a man took advantage of her." Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of mother are you?"

Her vectors pounded down on the woman's chest, shattering her ribs.

"You think this hurts?" she asked. "Physical pain has its limits. Mental pain is much more excruciating. And you allowed your daughter to go through it several times. And when she came to you for help, what did you do? Do you remember?"

Mayu's mother, beyond speech, could only spit up blood in response.

"No? Then let me remind you. You accused her of stealing away that pervert of a husband from you. All because you couldn't get him to fuck you." She chuckled. "How did it feel, to know that you're so damned ugly and unattractive that your own husband would rather screw your thirteen year old daughter than to touch you?" She cocked her head to the side. "Perhaps you were just sexually frustrated and took it out on her. Maybe you need some relief."

Using her vectors, she tore the woman's shirt open and roughly began fondling her breasts. Mayu's mother screamed as the pain to her broken ribs intensified. Kaede just chuckled at the woman's torment.

"What's wrong? Isn't this what you wanted?" She crushed one of the woman's breasts with her vectors. "Someone else's hands running over your ugly ass body that no one else wanted to touch?" She chuckled and retracted her vectors. "Oh, I get it. You're so sexually depraved that you want to skip the foreplay. Fine with me."

Leaving the bleeding woman alone for the moment, she wandered further into the house. She spotted the legless Mr. Arisaka attempting to crawl away, a difficult thing to do with one working arm, and smirked.

"Don't leave yet. I haven't even gotten around to you."

Using her vectors, she grabbed his broken arm and threw him roughly against the wall. With a grin, she continued further into the house until she reached the kitchen. And when she returned to Mayu's mother, she was wielding a large knife.

Through her pain, Mayu's mother eyed the floating knife fearfully, which only made Kaede chuckle.

"Don't look so afraid. Most woman would find something ten inches long to be quite," she grinned, "enjoyable." Her grin widened as she used her vectors to force open the woman's legs. "I know I'll certainly enjoy this."

With one of her vectors, she covered the woman's mouth to block out her screams as she set to work with the knife. She was finding this immensely satisfying. But she didn't want to play with this one too long. Her main target was bleeding in the next room.

"Well, that was fun." She said, tossing the bloody knife aside once she was finished with it. She grabbed the woman by the hair and lifted her up so she was eye level. "You know you deserve this pain. This is your punishment for what you did to your daughter. For what you allowed you bastard husband to do." One of her vectors caressed the woman's bloody face. "I don't blame him for not wanting to touch you. Your so damned ugly that no man would want to touch you. You need a prettier face."

She lashed out with her vector. Mayu's mother's face, was sliced off her body, all the way back to her ears. The woman went limp, no longer alive, and Kaede carelessly tossed the body aside.

"I'm surprised such a heartless woman had so much blood." She set her sights on Mr. Arisaka. "And now its time for the main event."

Mr. Arisaka pressed himself against the wall. "Please God…"

"God?" Kaede repeated. "Do you think God is going to save a sick bastard like you? Forget it, buddy, you're already damned, and I'm the one who will have the pleasure of sending your ass to Hell."

She grabbed him by the hair and lifted him off the ground, screaming. Kaede chuckled as he struggled to get down.

"You caused a little girl to suffer," one of her vectors grasped his crotch," just to feel good down here. You had no right to take your pleasure from her. So I'll be taking that pleasure back."

Mr. Arisaka looked down at her. "You won't get away with this?"

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "You don't think so? I'm not a fool. I haven't touched anything in this place with my hands. And as for my vectors," she chuckled, "they leave no finger prints. It will be clear that there had been a massacre here, but there will be no evidence of who it was." Her grin widened. "Just as there will be no evidence that you were once a man."

Mr. Arisaka cried out as he received Kaede's messy version of a sex change operation. His screams only made Kaede enjoy herself even more.

"I hate all humans in general," she said over his screams, "but it's the ones like you that truly make me sick. People call me a monster because I like to kill, but its people like you that are the real monsters. The ones who commit truly evil crimes. Well," she snickered, "I'm going to show you what it feels like to be violated in every possible way imaginable. And then I'm going to play with you for a long, long time. I haven't ever really had the chance to take my time and have fun. But with you," she gave him a grin of the utmost evil intent, "I'm going to really drag this out. As weak and pathetic as humans are, their bodies are also capable of enduring quit a bit. I imagine your mind will break before your body does. And when I finally send your child molesting ass to Hell," she leaned in close and spoke in his ear, "it will be Heaven compared to what I've done to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: If you did read this last part, I hope you weren't too disturbed. If necessary I will change this story to a 'M' rating, just let me know if you think I should. Just know that there will be no more scenes like that. Aside from that, things just went downhill for everyone. Kaede has regained control and has now infected the others with the Diclonius gene. Things are going from bad to worse.)


	14. Rescued and Reasoned With

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I've been getting several request from people asking for more on Kenshin, so I've decided to give in to their requests. I won't say anymore, because I don't want to spoil anything. Enjoy.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 14: Rescued and Reasoned With**

She woke up several hours later. She blinked a few times, looking around her. Blood was everywhere, including all over her. A dead body with its arms ripped out of their sockets and its face torn off lay on the floor. There was no sign of the body of Mr. Arisaka, but a large pile of mutilated flesh and shattered bones that may have at one point been a body was all over the floor.

A look of horror came over the Diclonius' face. "Nyu?" she said.

She looked at her hands. They were caked with blood. Her clothes were stained red from the result of her mutilation of her latest victim.

Tears crept up in her eyes and she began looking around for help. "K-Kohta? Kohta, where you? Nyu scared, Nyu scared!"

Confused and frightened, she ran out of the house. She didn't know where she was, having never been to this part of town before. But she did see something she recognized. Not too far off was the ocean. She knew the ocean, and she knew that as long as she was by it, she could find her way back to Kaede House.

So she ran for the large body of water. Oblivious to the fact that swimming in the ocean at night could be dangerous, she plunged right in. The water turned red around her as the blood washed off her body. Bursting through the surface, she took a breath of air.

"Cold!" she cried.

But she didn't get out, not until all the blood was washed from her body. Only then did she head back to the shore, shivering from the coldness of night.

"Nyu." She whimpered, looking around.

She knew that she would get home if she just stayed along the beach. The question was which way did she go?

She frowned, not sure what to do. Finally she just did what Yuka taught her to do when she couldn't make up her mind. She chose at random. So, closing her eyes, she spun around, and pointed forward, opening her eyes to see which way she had chosen.

"That way!" she announced, and began heading in the direction down the beach she had chosen at random.

She didn't know how long she walked, but she eventually dried off, but was still left in soggy clothes. She still wasn't sure where she was. She never really went out after dark; at least not when she was Nyu. What if she was going in the wrong direction? She would be moving farther and farther away from Kohta.

"Kohta…" she whined sadly. She dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. "Kohta, where you? Where you? Nyu lost. Nyu want go home. Find Nyu. Find Nyu, Kohta."

That's when the tears began flowing. She had come to the conclusion that she was lost forever. She would never see Kohta or any of her friends again. She would be all alone from now on.

But through her tears, she eventually detected another presence. She looked up to find someone standing over her. A young man with pink hair and magenta eyes. But it was the top of his head that Nyu focused on. He had two horns growing out of it.

"Nyu?" she asked.

The boy stared at her with a blank emotionless look on his face. "Not Lucy." He stated, and began walking away.

Nyu watched his retreating figure for a few moments before she jumped to her feet and ran after him. "Nyu!" she cried, throwing her arms around him.

Kenshin stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. Nyu looked back up at him with pleading eyes. When she didn't say anything, Kenshin began walking again with Nyu still clinging to his arm.

"No go!" she cried.

Kenshin stopped and glanced at her again. "What do you want?"

"Lost." She muttered. "Nyu lost. Nyu scared. Nyu want go home. Help Nyu. Help Nyu."

Kenshin looked at her for a moment before asking, "Where do you live?"

Nyu blinked a few times and thought about it. She knew her way around based on familiar landmarks, not by street names and such. But Yuka had taught her the name of where they lived.

"Kaede House." She said. "Nyu's home, Kaede House. Help find."

Kenshin cocked his head to the side before saying, "Follow me," and began walking again.

Joy filled Nyu. He was going to help her! She was so happy. Not only would she get home, but she had made a new friend. She quickly caught up to him, smiling happily.

"Nyu!" she announced. When Kenshin glanced at her, she pointed to herself. "Nyu." She pointed at him and waited. She received no reply, so she repeated the action. She pointed to herself, "Nyu," pointed at him and waited before once again repeating the process.

"Kenshin." He replied.

Nyu beamed. "Kenshin!" She pointed to herself. "Nyu!" Pointed at him. "Kenshin. Nyu, Kenshin, Nyu, Kenshin!"

"Yes," he replied, "you're Nyu."

"Kenshin same as Nyu!" she told him, looking at his horns. She reached up and tapped one before reaching for where her horns used to be. "Nyu's gone now."

"You were lucky to survive the removal." Kenshin told her, and made no further attempt to communicate.

But Nyu did. It was a very one-sided conversation. Kenshin didn't speak unless Nyu asked a question, and even then he gave as simple of an answer as possible.

When the sun finally began to rise, Nyu began to recognize her surroundings. Her eyes lit up happily and she jumped for joy.

"Nyu know this!" she told Kenshin. "Nyu know this!" She grabbed his arm and began pulling him along. "You come! You come!"

Kenshin followed her without question. The bubbly Diclonius led him off the beach and down the familiar street that led to Kaede House. She wanted Kohta and the others to meet her new friend.

"Nyu home!" she shouted when she spotted Kaede House.

But there was something there that was unexpected. Someone was outside, sitting by the door, and wrapped in a blanket. It was Mayu, and she was sleeping all curled up to keep warm.

"Mayu!" the Diclonius announced.

The fact that the girl was asleep didn't register to Nyu as she threw her arms around her friend. Mayu snapped awake, wondering what was going on. It took her a moment to realize that she was being hugged very tightly by the person she had stayed up waiting for.

"Lucy, you're back!" She hugged her friend. "I was worried about you. You never came back last night."

"Nyu!"

Mayu blinked. "Nyu?"

"Yes!"

' _She's switched personality.'_  Mayu realized. "Oh, Nyu, it's good to see you. You've been gone for a while."

Nyu smiled brightly. "Nyu made new friend!"

She pointed at Kenshin. Mayu's eyes widened when she saw the Diclonius. "It's you… Kenshin."

"Hello." Said the male Diclonous, as if he hadn't attacked Nana not too long ago. "And goodbye."

"Wait!" Mayu cried, Lucy's warning completely forgotten. "Stay there, I'll be just a moment." He turned to Nyu. "Ok, Nyu, I want you to go inside and get out of those wet clothes. Then go take a hot bath and go to bed."

Nyu frowned. "Nyu want Kohta."

"Kohta's sleeping right now. But the faster you get to sleep, the faster you can wake up and see Kohta."

Nyu eyes lit up. "Ok!" She waved to Kenshin, "Bye, bye," and ran inside.

Once she was gone, Mayu turned back to Kenshin, feeling very nervous. "I'm glad we ran into each other again. I wanted to talk to you."

"Why?" Kenshin asked.

Mayu gulped. "I want to try and convince you to leave Lucy alone."

"But I was told to kill her."

"You didn't though." Mayu pointed out. "You brought her home."

Kenshin shook his head. "No, that was not Lucy. I was told to go after Lucy."

Mayu nodded. "Yes, I understand that. But I want to know why you're going after her." When Kenshin opened his mouth, Mayu cut him off. "And don't just say it's because you were told to, because that's not a good enough reason." Kenshin closed his mouth and remained silent, so Mayu continued. "I don't think you're a bad person, Kenshin, that's why I'm trying to figure out why you're doing these bad things. This Director Kazu… whatever his name is, he's a very bad person who likes to hurt people. You don't like to hurt people, do you Kenshin?"

He seemed to consider it for a moment. "I don't think so."

"Then why do you do it?"

"Because I was-"

"Told to." Mayu finished for him. "I got that. But do you want to do this?"

Again, Kenshin fell silent, thinking it over. "I… don't know. I don't know what I want. I don't want, ever."

Mayu pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "How can you never want?" She asked herself quietly. "You're telling me that you never get this feeling to do something or to not do something?" Kenshin shook his head. "Then why did you bring Nyu home?"

Kenshin opened and closed his mouth, seeming to lose the ability to speak. It was something he had never considered. Why did he help her? He didn't know. He just did it, just like he did with anything he was told. He just did things without a single thought to them. He never had a reason to, because he never felt a the need to question any motives, and he never felt the need to second guess himself or to understand if he wanted to do it or not.

After remaining silent for a while, he finally answered. "I don't know."

Mayu smiled. "Because you wanted to."

"Wanted to." Kenshin repeated. "But… I don't want. I never have. Not since."

It hit him like a ton of bricks. Memories suppressed from long ago. He saw himself as a child, laughing and having fun with a man and a woman. Were they his parents? He didn't know, he couldn't remember his parents. Whoever they were, they loved him and didn't care that he was different. And he had felt something for them. Love? Was that what he had felt? He couldn't remember. For so long, all he had known was pain and suffering, and then after that, nothing, just a blank feeling of emptiness that had completely consumed him and blocked out everything else.

"Kenshin?" Her voice sounded so far away. But as she continued to call his name, he came back to the present. "Kenshin? Are you ok? You're crying?"

Crying? He reached up and felt his cheeks. They were wet with tears. He was, he was crying. He thought he had forgotten how. He thought he was no longer capable of crying. Why was he even crying?

"I don't… understand." He said. "Why am I…? I just remembered when I…" A whimper escaped his throat. "Mom… Dad…"

"You're parents?" Mayu asked. "Were you thinking about your parents?"

Kenshin couldn't remember the last time he actually thought about anything. "I… don't have parents."

Mayu frowned. "You mean their dead?" She received no answer. "But you still had parents, Kenshin. Everyone has parents." She gave him a sad smile. "And I'll bet they loved you very much."

"Love…" Kenshin whispered. "I don't remember love. What is love?"

Mayu frowned. "Love is… Well, it's um…" She wasn't sure how to put it into words. "I'm not sure how to explain it, but if you want to see love, just look at Lucy and Kohta. They love each other, very much. You wouldn't want to tear them apart, would you? How did it feel when you lost your parents?"

"When I lost my… parents."

Another memory surfaced. He had been sleeping when they came. Men dressed in black with guns. They forced their way in and took him. The man and the woman he stayed with tried to stop them. The men in black pointed their guns at them. The guns went off, and the man and the woman-

"NO!" Kenshin shouted.

He buried his head in his hands and dropped to his knees, shaking terribly and whimpering. Mayu watched him for a moment worriedly before reaching out for him.

"Kenshin?"

An invisible hand grabbed her arm, preventing her from touching him. Mayu froze, knowing how dangerous the situation had just become. Kenshin got to his feet and looked at her. His face was once again devoid of emotion, the only evidence of his breakdown being the wet streaks down his cheeks.

Mayu worked up her courage. "Are you ok?"

"I don't know."

She sighed. So they were back to square one. She glanced at her arm where Kenshin's invisible vector held her. "Can you let me go, please?"

He released her immediately. "I'm leaving." He said, and began walking away.

Mayu frowned. She wasn't sure if she had made any progress. But she did have an idea.

"Hey Kenshin, wait." He looked back at her. "I want you to go back where you came from. Forget about getting Lucy. And you tell this Director person that you're not doing his dirty work anymore. And from now on, always do the opposite of what he tells you."

Kenshin stared at her for a moment. "Ok."

Mayu blinked. That was it? He was giving up just like that, simply because she said to? What had those scientists done to him so he would end up like this? It was cruel. It was beyond inhuman. The guy couldn't even make decisions without being told. She wanted to help him, she just wasn't sure how. There had to be some way to get him to have an opinion of his own.

' _I'm no psychiatrist, but lets try this.'_  "Kenshin, listen to me." He turned to her again. "Concerning what I just said about doing the opposite of what you're told, I want you to make your own decisions. When someone tells you to do something, remember that I'm telling you to do the opposite. Compare the two choices and then do whichever one you want regardless of what people tell you. Ok?"

Kenshin stared at her. He seemed confused for a moment, but then his expression once again went blank. "Ok." He said, and began walking away.

Mayu sighed sadly.  _'I just pray that whatever you decide to do will be the right choice.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Well there you go, a little more on Kenshin and a bit of his background. He actually showed emotion for a few moments. But how will things progress for him from there? And what will happen when he returns to the facility, and what will he deal with Mayu's requests?)


	15. It Comes To An End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: We haven't seen much dealing with Director Kakuzawa and his plans. So this chapter is mostly dedicated to that. It also reveals his motives and intentions of torturing his own kind. Read on.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 15: It Comes To An End**

Director Kakuzawa pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Things were beginning to fall apart. It had all begun when Lucy had escaped for the first time. That's when his plans began falling to ruin.

Damn his miserable son for letting her go. The idiot had been a selfish bastard, thinking only about himself and his own gene pool. The fool had wanted to impregnate Lucy with his own child and begin the next generation of Diclonius.

How stupid could he be? Didn't he know that their DNA was completely screwed up due to constant inter-breeding with humans? They were left with small horns, unable to sense their own kind, and no vectors. To put their genes into the generation born from the queen of their species was idiotic.

Yes, his son had been a fool. But his own goal was meant for the whole world. His aim was to create a being superior to all, human and Diclonius. That was what he wanted, to create a perfect race. Lucy, he believed, was his best chance at accomplishing this, but she had become a liability. That's why he had ordered her to be destroyed if she couldn't be caught. He wanted her for research, but he would have her removed if she put his master plan in jeopardy.

He needed to keep it quiet though. His whole operation had to remain a secret. Society didn't understand. They wouldn't condole his actions because they saw them as cruel. Didn't they understand that sacrifices were necessary? Fortunately, due to a Diclonius' nature, it was easy to get humanity to see them as an enemy. But there were those idealistic fools who thought that they were all equal, whether human or Diclonius. They would fight against his cause. So he kept it a secret. He had hoped that Kenshin would be able to pull it off, and so far things had been kept quiet, but Lucy was still out there, possibly exposing his secrets.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. With an irritably groan, he answered it. "Kakuzawa."

" _Sir, Number 28 has returned."_

Kakuzawa raised an eyebrow. Interesting timing. He wondered if Kenshin had managed to bring Lucy back. He doubted it. Lucy wouldn't come back willingly. Not unless she had switched to that childish personality that he had seen once or twice. Either way, it was good news, and he went to greet the empty-headed Diclonius.

Kenshin hadn't changed. He even wore the same clothes he had left in. Kakuzawa grinned down at the boy.

"Welcome back, Kenshin. Did your mission go well?"

Kwnshin looked up at him with empty eyes. "I don't know."

"Of course you don't." Kakuzawa muttered. "Well, since Lucy is not with you, I assume you had to kill her."

"She resisted." Kenshin replied. Kakuzawa nodded and turned to leave. "But I did not kill her."

Kakuzawa stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned around and faced the Diclonius. "And why not?"

"It wasn't Lucy."

Kakuzawa's eyes twitched. "What do you mean it wasn't…" He suddenly realized what he meant. Lucy must have switched personalities again, to either that Nyu person or this new personality, Kaede.

He groaned in irritation. It was his own fault. He should have made his orders as clear as possible. Kenshin was far too simple-minded and took everything far too literally.

"Alright," he groaned, "I want you to go back out again and find Lucy, or whoever it is she has become. I don't care which personality she changes to, just find her and either bring her back or kill her. Understood."

Kenshin's first instinct was to obey. Unable to think for himself, he merely did the first thought that was placed in his mind. But for the first time since he had been able to think for himself, he was left with the choice of whether to obey or not.

" _When someone tells you to do something, remember that I'm telling you to do the opposite. Compare the two choices and then do whichever one you want regardless of what people tell you."_

That was what he was told. So while Kakuzawa was telling him to do this, Mayu was telling him not to. So which did he choose?

He didn't know. Mayu had told him to compare the choices and do whichever one he wanted. So he thought about what Kakuzawa had just ordered him. He felt no desire to follow such an order, so, in his mind, he concluded that he must not want to go and capture or kill Lucy.

"No."

Kakuzawa froze. The look on his face was one of complete disbelief. Had Kenshin just… refused him? But that would require making a decision. Since when did Kenshin think for himself?

"What do you mean, no?"

"I don't want to do it." Kenshin explained. "So, no."

Kakuzawa clenched his fists together angrily. "You don't have a choice in the matter. I am ordering you to go out and complete your mission."

"No."

Anger gripped Kakuzawa, and his fist collided with Kenshin's jaw. The Diclonius didn't react to the pain. It only made Kakuzawa angrier. Kenshin no longer reacted to pain or pleasure; that made both threatening and bribing him out of the question.

"Listen here," he seethed, "I am in charge here, and you are going to do what I say."

"I don't want to."

"I thought you didn't want."

"I don't."

Kakuzawa growled. Kenshin's mind was so messed up that there was no talking to him. He couldn't send him out again; he was too unreliable.

"Fine." He grunted. "But you said that you had at least found her. So tell me where she is and I'll have it taken care of."

Kenshin thought about it a minute. Whether to obey or disobey. There was no desire to tell the director the location, so he must not want to.

"I'm not telling." The Diclonius muttered, and began walking in the direction he knew his chamber was in.

Kakuzawa was at a loss for words. No only had the brat refused him, but now he was turning his back on him. That was unacceptable. What had happened out there to make this change in him?

"Hey, wait!" he snapped. "You look at me while I'm talking to you!"

"Director Kakuzawa!"

The director froze. He turned to find Arakawa coming towards him. Damn it, he did not need this right now. Couldn't she bother him later?

"Now is not a good time." he told her.

She glared at him and held up a folder full of papers. "You're going to have plenty of time in the future with your ass in prison."

That caught his attention. Letting Kenshin go for now, he turned to his so-called assistant. "What?"

She threw him the dirtiest look she could muster. "Remember the last time I spoke to you about the Diclonius?"

He crossed his arms. "Refresh my memory."

To his surprise, she smirked at him. "With pleasure. What I brought up was how it's not fair to declare all Diclonius as hostile when the only ones we've researched have been treated cruelly."

"Ah, yes, that."

Arakawa nodded. "Yes, that. I want you to know that I've found other families with Diclonius children that are living quite happily. Cases where there have been no cruel treatment and no murders by the children."

Kakuzawa's eyes narrowed. "You were to report all families to me."

"Why, so you can murder the parents and subject the children to torture in your so-called name of science?" She pushed the folder in his hands. "I told you I'd investigate, and I did. I even managed to hack your file."

The director's eyes widened. "You what?"

"That's right, I know all about your plans of creating a superior race. You made Diclonius out to be an enemy of mankind to justify your actions to whoever works for you. Yes, Diclonius are capable of killing, but so are humans. If you bring up an ordinary human child in a cruel and abusive environment, they would react no differently than a Diclonius would. Hell, if humans had vectors, then there would be multiple murders among children with the way kids harass each other these days."

Kakuzawa glared at her. "Putting aside what you've said, it  _is_  in a Diclonius' nature to kill humans. That's imprinted in their very DNA."

Arakawa didn't argue with that. "Yes, that's just the way nature works. Stronger animals prey upon the weak. When a stronger species comes along, they take over the weaker species. But there's one very big difference. Both humans and Diclonius have enough intelligence to overcome their instincts. If brought up the proper way, a Diclonius will be no more hostile than an average human. Morals and a conscience, that's what separates us from animals." She crossed her arms. "And even animals can be trained. Dogs are predators by nature, but they can be trained right from wrong. They can be trained to ignore instincts. It's the same thing with humans and Diclonius. But a child on the streets or even in the wild, and they'll revert to instinct alone. But brought up in a civilized manner and there is no threat."

"Enough." Kakuzawa snapped. "I won't hear anymore of this."

"Why, because you no it's true? It was all in your files. I took everything you've kept quiet and matched it with the information I've discovered. If people would just stop torturing the Diclonius race, then there wouldn't be a damn problem between them and us. Hell, I've found cases where Diclonius have had children with humans. You're a damn result of that!" She held her head up high. "It's all over. I'm exposing you and everything you've done. I'm also telling the world about the Diclonius race. Once this is out in the open, all this murder between us and them will stop."

Kakuzawa threw the folder to the ground. "You fool! If you let the Diclonius become known and they're made as equals, they will one day replace the human race."

Arakawa frowned, but nodded. "Yes, that is evolution. It won't be for many, many years, but one day humans will die out and Diclonius will be the dominant species of the planet. That is inevitable. But replacing humanity and wiping them out are two very different things. Throughout evolution, species die out, that's just the way things are. Nothing can stop that. But what can be stopped is all this pointless torture and killing. So I'm pulling the plug."

Kakuzawa moved quickly. He grabbed Arakawa by the shirt and slammed her against the wall.

"Listen to me, you stupid little bitch, you had better keep this quiet. If you breathe one word of it to anyone, I'll kill you myself!"

Arakawa showed no fear. "Go ahead. Kill me. It won't matter. I've already taken the necessary steps."

"You what?"

"Did youi think I wouldn't be prepared? Even if you kill me right here and right now, it will already too late to stop it. The whole world will soon know about the Diclonius and what you've done."

With a cry of rage, Kakuzawa threw her to the floor. He reached into his coat and pulled out a gun, aiming it at her. "You shouldn't have stuck your nose where it didn't belong. All you had to do was what you were told, and  _only_  what you were told. Put you couldn't even do that right."

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind. The hand holding the gun was grasped tightly and pointed away from Arakawa. He held onto it until whoever had grabbed him bent his hand back so far that he was forced to let go.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded. He looked around, finding himself surrounded by his own people, both scientists and security. "How dare you! I'm your boss!"

A fist collided with his gut and he collapsed to the floor.

"You're nothing but a murdering bastard." Said one of the scientists.

"You made us believe that Diclonius were an enemy to mankind, but it was us who was  _making_  them our enemy by what we were doing."

A woman scientist stepped forward and slapped the director. "Do you know how much guilt I've gone through when I put these poor children through these tests. You had me believing that it was all to save humanity, when in reality you were manipulating us to your own sick cause."

"You don't even care about the human or the Diclonius race. Once this perfect race you were attempting to create was finished, you were gonna have us all wiped out to allow them to start fresh."

"You had me kill my own son because you had me believing that he would be a danger to humanity. You made me  _murder_  my child, you sick bastard!"

"And Kurama, do you realize what you did to him? You made him a child torturer and murderer, having him believe he was saving humanity. My God, he killed newborns! He completely quarantined his own daughter for this bullshit. Do you know how many innocents have died for your precious cause? And when I say innocents, I mean Diclonius too!"

"That's enough." Said Arakawa loudly. She was helped to her feet by the other scientists. "I think we've made our point. It's all over. Director Kakuzawa, you're finished. All these Diclonius that you've used as your lab rats, are going to get the best therapy to undue the damage you caused to them."

Kakuzawa looked up at her with the utmost hatred. "Idiots, do you realize what you're throwing away? We have the chance to create the perfect being! A race superior to all."

"At the cost of what?" Arakawa demanded. "If this is what it takes to make the perfect race, then there shouldn't be one. Only nature can create a perfect race. Not people like you." There were nods and muttered agreements from the other scientists. "We should give you to the Diclonius children you've had tortured and murdered, or to the parents whose children you had killed for the so-called safety of the human race. That would serve you right." She crossed her arms. "But we won't, because we're  _human_."

"Fools." Kakuzawa muttered. "FOOLS! This is all for the greater good!"

"Really? Well you can give you side to the police and see if they agree."

Kakuzawa was led away by the security guards who had been made aware of the truth of the situation. The director struggled the whole time, even though he knew he was beaten.

Kenshin watched from the shadows the whole time, listening to every word that was spoken. Unsurprisingly, he felt nothing from this turn of events, and continued his way back to his cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I knew almost right away that Arakawa would play an important role. I haven't read the manga yet, so I can't say if my suspicions are correct. But I made her have a very important role in my story. But just because she brought down Kakuzawa, does not mean that things are over. So stay tuned for more.)


	16. Revenge and Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Yeah, I got nothing to say.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 16: Revenge and Desire**

Director Kakuzawa sat tied to a chain with a gag in his mouth and his hands cuffed behind his back. Who would have thought that things would end up like this? This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be the person who created the ultimate life form. He was supposed to be remembered as the bringer of the greatest race. But it looked like it had just been a dream. He should have known that he wouldn't be able to play God.

It was all that bitch Arakawa's fault. He should have killed her right away. But no, he'd found her amusing and interesting to keep around. It would have been fine if she hadn't started snooping around in restricted files. But he had been careless, thinking her unable to cause any trouble.

It wasn't just her though. It was Lucy and his damned son. His imbecile brat had let Lucy go, setting off a series of events that led to this. Now here he was, waiting for the police to take him to prison for the rest of his life, if he didn't receive the death penalty, which was a very likely scenario.

But he wasn't going down without a fight. The fools that had shut him away in this room had all run off to  _take care_   _of things_ ; basically meaning trying to find ways to prove that they were mislead by the belief that they were saving humanity to excuse them of their crimes. They thought him to be an old man, unable to fend for himself. Well, he may be old, but he wasn't completely helpless. He still hand a little trick up his sleeve.

His face scrunched up as he concentrated. He hadn't done this in years, having no need to do so. From out of his back grew four invisible hands. Unlike his son, he did have vectors. However, they only extend to the wrists. And invisible hands growing out of his back were completely useless when they were this short. Or so he had thought. Shifting his actual arms, he moved the handcuffs towards his pathetic excuse of vectors. They sliced right through the chain.

With a grin, he untied the rope around his legs and stood up. He was free, though it wouldn't do him much good. His dream was dead. He'd never be able to create the ultimate race now. Hell, he'd never be able to go out anymore once he was declared a criminal.

But he had other things on his mind. He was a Diclonius, and there were many similarities between Diclonius and humans. One of those similarities was the desire for revenge. And it was revenge that was on his mind.

Lucy was the main cause for his downfall. She destroyed his dream, and he'd be damned if he'd let her get away with it. He was going to see that bitch dead if it was the last thing he did.

He wasn't a fool though. He knew that he was no match for her. He'd be slaughtered. Fortunately for him, he still had some people that were loyal to him. People who had friends that had been killed by Lucy during her escapes. They would help him take Lucy out.

But finding her would be the hard part. He couldn't sense other Diclonius, and he knew that none of the others would find her for him. But luckily, there was someone who knew where she was. Kenshin. That brat was going to tell him where she was whether he wanted to or not. It wouldn't be easy getting information out of him though. Ordinarily he would use torture to find out what he wanted, but Kenshin was, for lack of a better word, immune to pain.

Fortunately though, he wasn't immune to drugs. And he had plenty of them here. He wondered how many doses of truth serum it would take to get the boy to spill the beans.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Lucy felt disgusted. Shortly after she awoke from her Nyu personality, she had confined herself to her room. She couldn't bring herself to tell Mayu what cruel fate had become of her mother and stepfather, nor did she intend to.

A wave of nausea overcame her as she recalled what had happened the previous night. It wasn't the fact that she had killed that upset her; she couldn't even bring herself to feel guilty for the deaths of those miserable excuse for parents. No, what was bothering her was everything that had led up to their deaths.

Lucy had killed before, she knew what it was like to have blood on her hands. But she had never tortured anyone before, if she could even call what Kaede had done to Mayu's stepfather humane enough to be classified as torture. Killing was one thing, but sadistic torture was something completely different. It was a new and very unpleasant feeling. Kaede had a truly sick and twisted mind.

' _The minds of the insane normally come up with things that never occur to the sane.'_

Lucy covered her ears. If only that actually could block out her hated other personality's voice. If there ever was one person that she would consciously kill, it would be Kaede.

' _But you can't kill me without taking your own life.'_

Lucy glared at her reflection in the mirror as if she were actually looking at her darker half.  _'It may come to that.'_

' _Don't fret. I'm not going to harm your beloved Kohta. I am part of you, therefore I love him as well.'_

' _You don't know what love is.'_

' _But I do, dear sister. I know your every desire.'_

' _Then you would know that I don't want to kill anymore.'_

Kaede chuckled.  _'No, you just don't want to want to kill. In your mind you don't want to kill, but by your instinct, the desire to kill is there, and I shall act upon it.'_

"No!" Lucy cried. One of her vectors shot out and went to her neck. "If the killing won't stop then I shall take my own life."

The same vector she had to her throat suddenly slapped her as Kaede took control of it.  _'You can't fool me, Lucy. Unless it comes to Kohta's wellbeing, you are a coward; otherwise you would have taken your own life long ago. That's why you asked Kohta to do it if you couldn't stop killing, because you were too afraid to do it yourself. You've been afraid your whole life, Lucy, and don't try to hide it from me, because you literally can't.'_

Lucy began trembling slightly and dropped to her knees. It was true, she was a coward. She had been afraid her whole life. But what could one feel other than fear when they lived through what she had.

' _You're fear is one of the things that helped create me. You fear to act upon your desires, whether they be killing or simple letting Kohta know of your true feelings. I have no such fear, and if you will not act upon your desires, then I will.'_

A familiar and very unwelcome feeling came over Lucy. Kaede was taking over again. She couldn't allow that to happen, especially not after what happened last time. Who knew what she would do. But she couldn't hold her back. She didn't have a choice in the matter.

' _What are you going to do?'_

Kaede snickered.  _What you don't have the courage for.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kohta lay in bed, unable to get some sleep. Lucy had once again shut herself away. He had only caught a glimpse of her once throughout the entire day, and he had seen something in her eyes that made him shiver. It was disgust and hatred for herself. He'd seen it before, but never to that extent. Something bad had happened, something that really upset and terrified her. And that really worried him. He hated to admit it, but Lucy had a seriously fucked up life, and was carrying a lot of guilt on her shoulders. So what could have happened that was so bad that it brought her into this state after everything she had seen and done?

Whatever it was, she clearly wasn't ready to talk about it. But he'd be there for her when she was. Maybe tomorrow she would tell him what happened. If he ever got to sleep and made it to tomorrow.

With a grunt he buried his face in his pillow. Some time later he finally began to doze off, but he was immediately woken up again when he heard his door open.

Groaning again, he looked up and received shock. Lucy was standing right over him, staring at him. Was she ready to tell him what was bothering her? She could have picked a better time.

"Lucy? Is everything all right?"

She smiled at him in an unusual way. Then she suddenly kissed him. Kohta's was surprised. He hadn't expected this, as pleasant as it was. But there was something both different and familiar to the kiss. It was different from Lucy's kiss, but familiar to…

He aggressively pushed her away. "You're not Lucy." He growled, wiping his mouth. "And you're not Nyu either."

Kaede chuckled. "You know how to look beyond the flesh. It's not something most people can do."

"What are you doing here?"

Kaede slowly got to her feet. "I've told you before, that I am all of Lucy's desires. The good and the bad kind, the conscious and the instinctual, the wanted and the unwanted." She smiled. "The desires she won't act upon, I will. And that is what I'm doing here; fulfilling her desires."

Kohta watched in confusion as she reached down and grabbed the bottom of her nightgown. Slowly she lifted it up over her head and tossed it aside, leaving her in her panties.

"What are you doing?" Kohta asked with wide eyes.

He received more snickers from the Diclonius in reply. "Is it not obvious?" she asked, letting her panties fall to the ground and stepping out of them, leaving her completely nude. "Lucy has wanted you for a mate since she was a child. But she was always too afraid to take what she wanted." Her grin widened. "I'm not."

Kohta suddenly felt himself pushed and held down on the bed. He knew right away that Kaede had him pinned down with her vectors.

"Stop it!" he cried. "Let me up."

Kaede ignored him as she crawled on top of him. "You can't fool me, Kohta. I know you want it."

Kohta was helpless to stop her as she tore off his pajamas, leaving him just as exposed as she was.

"Get the hell off me, bitch!"

"Don't fight." She told him. "You desire me too. You always have, whether I've been Kaede, Lucy, or Nyu. You've always found me attractive. And you confessed your love as well. There's no reason to hold back."

She moved forward to kiss him again, but Kohta surprised her by rolling over and she fell to the ground.

"You make me sick!" he told her, pulling the blanket around himself. "I don't want you. You disgust me. You're body may be attractive, but I care nothing for you and want nothing from you. It's the person in the body that I love, and you're not her. I'd rather die than be intimate with you."

Kaede remained silent. She merely looked down at the ground, her hair hiding the smile on her face. "I figured as much."

She slowly looked up and locked eyes with Kohta. But they weren't Kaede's eyes anymore. He knew who it was immediately.

"Lucy."

"Kohta!" she gasped, and turned away, her arms covering her chest. "I'm sorry. She did this. I couldn't stop her. I feel so ashamed."

She sounded like she was about to cry. Kohta hesitated a moment before he shrugged off the blanket, pulling it completely off the bed, and wrapping it around her. "There's nothing to apologize for. Kaede is the one responsible."

"But she acts upon my desires." Lucy told him. "She sensed what I wanted and acted upon. She said that she would do what I was too afraid to do."

She curled into a ball, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. Why was she feeling this way? She'd been around Kohta when she was naked before. Perhaps not when she'd been Lucy, but he had still seen her. So why was she feeling so shy and embarrassed? She'd spent years at the lab with only a helmet on, her body exposed for all to see.

Suddenly she felt Kohta's arms wrap around her. A blush stained her cheeks and her heart began pounding as Kohta hugged her.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asked quietly. He waited, but received no answer and tightened his hold on her. "You don't have to be afraid of me Lucy. I told you before that I love you." He hesitated a moment. "Do you think I didn't desire you too?"

Lucy looked over her shoulder, suddenly conscious of that fact that Kohta was just as naked as she was. "Kohta…"

A slight blush covered Kohta's cheeks and he diverted his eyes from her. "I actually have to fight my own desires for you… It's… perfectly normal."

Lucy felt tears creep up in her eyes. "Oh, Kohta." She whispered and reached for him. "Kiss me. Kohta, please kiss me."

Kohta hesitated, but then slowly brought his face closer to hers until their lips pressed together. Lucy pushed the blanket off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor, wrapping her arms around him. Finally, she was together like this with Kohta.

In the back of her mind, Kaede gave smiled in satisfaction and went to sleep.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Almost as if Fate itself decreed it, Yuka woke from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. It was past four in the morning.

Licking her lips, she realized that she was thirsty and went to get a drink. She went into the kitchen and retrieved a glass, filling it with water. After drinking half of it, she went back to her room, taking the still half-full glass with her.

A strange noise caught her attention and she glanced over her shoulder. The sound was coming from Kohta's room. Curious, she went to see what it was. The door was open a crack and she peaked inside.

All sleepiness vanished instantly and her eyes widened in horror by what she saw. There were two people in Kohta's bed, moving in sync with each other. They had been the source of noise she had heard.

Her hand went limp and the glass fell. The couple in the room were so immersed with each other that they didn't even hear it shatter when it hit the floor. Nor did they hear Yuka make a heartbroken whimper and run back to her room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: In case you were wondering, yes, Kohta and Lucy were having sex. And Yuka saw them. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out. But what is a bad thing is that Kakuzawa has escaped, and he's got revenge on his mind. His plans may be ruined, but he's still a threat. Things are going to get real exciting now.)


	17. It All Comes Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. Things have been rather hectic, and it's just been one delay after another. But here's the next chapter. Hope you like it..)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 17: It All Comes Out**

Lucy woke, feeling better than she had ever had in her entire life. A little sore, yes, but happier than ever. Kohta held her securely in her arms. His grip on her tightened when he felt her stir. Lucy smiled, she felt so good lying here in his arms.

There was only one minor discomfort. Nature was calling. She sighed in aggravation. She wanted to stay here in Kohta's arms, but she really had to go.

She tried to untangle herself from Kohta's arms, but he only held onto her tighter. Lucy smiled, and used her vectors to carefully pry his arms off her. He continued sleeping as she climbed out of the bed.

She picked up Kohta's shirt and slipped it on, then she made her way to the bathroom. After she relieved herself, she decided to take a bath. She was repelled to have to wash Kohta's scent from her body, but she needed to wash up. Besides, it would loosen her tired muscles from last night's activities.

Once she finished her bath and dried off, she wrapped the towel around herself and headed for her room.

"Have fun last night?"

Lucy topped. Slowly she turned to find Yuka leaning against the wall, her face hidden in the shadows. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not stupid." Yuka's voice was strangely emotionless. "I know what happened last night between you and Kohta."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. So she knew, did she? Maybe that was for the best. Yes, it was. Now Yuka knew who Kohta truly belonged to. The game was over.

"Do you?" she said, feeling the need to confront Yuka head on about it. "Then you'll know that Kohta made his choice."

Yuka's fists clenched. She was silent for several seconds before speaking again. "I've loved Kohta a long time. Ever since I was a little girl. There's never been anyone besides Kohta in my heart."

"It's the same for me." came Lucy's quick response. "He's the only one I've ever loved, and the only one I will ever love." She narrowed her eyes at her former love rival. "And I'm never going to give him up. I'll do whatever it takes to keep Kohta. No matter who I have to hurt in the process." She calmly walked past Yuka, heading for her room. "And that includes you."

Yuka suddenly surprised her by grabbing her and slammed her against the wall. She held Lucy pinned there, her nails digging into Lucy's arms. Lucy let herself be manhandled, knowing that she could easily overpower the other woman if she had to.

"Just listen to me, you bitch!" Yuka shrieked. "I know you love Kohta, and I know Kohta loves you too. He may love me, but not the way I want him to. He only loves me as a cousin. That's all I am to him, no matter how much I love him, that will never changed."

She leaned forward, and Lucy got a good look at her eyes. They were filled with despair and heartbreak, tears flowing out of them. Yuka was hurting, and hurting badly, the phantom pain in her heart was worse than any physical pain she could have felt.

"No one loves Kohta as much as I do." She continued. "No one. And because I love him so much, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make him happy, because that's what I want the most, his happiness." Her grip on Lucy tightened. "That's why I'm giving him up. I can't compete with the love you two share, no matter how strong my feelings for him are. You make him happier than I ever could. So I'll let you two have your happiness." Her grip on Lucy finally relaxed. "That's all I had to say."

She released the Diclonius and slowly began walking away. Lucy remained where she was, running Yuka's words through her find.

"You're wrong, you know."

Yuka stopped. She turned around to face the Diclonius. "What do you mean?"

"About there being no one that loves him as much as you do. Because  _I_  do. I'm not claiming to love him more than you do, but at the very least, I do love him as much as you do." She turned to lock eyes with Yuka. "Kohta is my everything. He's my reason for living. I gave up everything for him.  _Everything_. My life, my freedom, my sanity, my innocence. All for Kohta. I willing walked into death, into a life of brutal torture more painful than you could ever imagine. Kohta was the only thing I ever had. No parents, no siblings, no family at all, and no friends either. Anyone and everything I even came close to caring about either betrayed me, or was taken from me. Kohta is the only thing I have, and the only thing that truly fills my heart." She turned her back on Yuka. "So before you go off saying how my love isn't as great as yours, consider what I've had and what I've given up. Go through everything I've had, and  _then_  you can say that your love can compete with my."

With nothing else to say, she walked into her room and closed the door behind her. Yuka was left alone in the hall, with nothing but Lucy's words to keep her company.

Finally she dropped to her knees and cried some more. Not out of heartbreak this time, but because Lucy had once again beaten her.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

"Achoo!"

Mayu pulled the blanket around herself to keep warm. Kohta removed the thermometer from her mouth and looked at it.

"You have a small cold." He said. "It's not too bad, but you should stay in bed today."

Nana's bottom lip was quivering as tears ran down her cheeks. "Sh-She's not g-going t-t-to die, i-is she?"

Kohta chuckled. "No, no. She'll be fine. She just needs some rest." He looked at the thermometer. "I wonder how you got sick anyway."

Mayu grinned nervously. "Guess I picked up a bug from somewhere."

That was a lie. She knew exactly how she had gotten sick. It was from staying outside all night waiting for Lucy to come back. Still, if a little cold was the price to pay to get through to Kenshin, then it was worth it.

Kohta gave her a smile. "Well don't worry, you'll be better in no time. Come on, let's get you back to bed."

"But…" Mayu glanced at her dog. "I need to take Wanta for a walk."

"Not today." Kohta lightly scolded. He glanced at Nana. "Nana, would you mind walking the dog?"

Nana suddenly latched onto Mayu. "I'm not leaving my friend when she's sick!"

Kohta sighed. So far today looked like it would be rather troubling. Mayu was sick, Nana was  _worried_  sick, and Yuka was in her room depressed for some reason. It was just going to be one of those days.

Lucy watched as Nana fussed over her sick friend. She felt slightly guilty, knowing that she was sort of the reason why Mayu had gotten sick. She supposed this was the least she could do.

"I'll walk Wanta."

The others stared at her in surprise.

"You will?" asked Mayu.

A slight embarrassed blush stained Lucy's cheeks. "I have a… soft spot for dogs." She admitted, remembering the puppy she had once had before it was beaten to death by bullies.

Mayu considered it. "Well, if it's not too much trouble."

"I can manage. Where's his leash?"

"In the closet where the coats are."

Lucy nodded and went to retrieve the leash. Kohta followed her into the other room. There was something bothering him.

"Lucy, are you sure this is ok? What if  _she_  comes out?"

Lucy knew exactly who  _she_  was. "It'll be fine." she assured him. "She won't come out without a motive. But I'll stay away from other people anyway. We'll just walk along the beach."

Kohta scratched his head nervously. "Well, if you're sure."

Lucy suddenly grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards her, kissing him hard on the mouth. "I'll be fine. I can't let her rule my life or else she wins."

Kohta couldn't argue with that. "All right. Be safe."

Lucy gave him a smile. "I will be."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Kenshin slowly opened his eyes. His mind was foggy, as if he couldn't remember what had happened.

' _Where am I?'_ he wondered.

Looking around, he saw that he was back in his room. Actually chamber would be a more accurate word.

' _That's right, I came back. The director was angry with me, and he…'_

The memories came flooding back. After Kenshin had retired to his room, Kakuzawa had come in several hours later with his most loyal men. Kenshin had expected interrogation, even torture, what he hadn't expected were those drugs they pumped him full of. Truth serum, he remembered, was one of them. There were others, but he couldn't recall their names. He hadn't been feeling right in the head after that first dose.

What had all that been about? He knew that Kakuzawa had wanted to know where Lucy was, but Kenshin hadn't felt like telling him. And Mayu had told him not to do things he didn't feel like doing. So he had remained silent.

Was that what the drugs were for? He remembered Kakuzawa saying something about giving him one last chance to talk before they forced the truth out of him. Kenshin had once again replied that he didn't feel like telling, and that's when one of the men had stuck him with the needle. Then things got foggy.

Had he talked? Kenshin thought about it. Yes, now that he thought about it, he had talked. He hadn't wanted to, or even meant to, but the words had just flowed out of him as if someone else had taken control of his vocal cords.

So Kakuzawa knew, and he was going after Lucy. Well, that wasn't Kenshin's concern. He would just go back to sitting here, doing nothing, not moving from this spot, just like he always did, simply because that's where he was.

He closed his eyes, letting his mind go blank as it always did. But for some reason, this time, his mind didn't go blank. He once again saw Kakuzawa and his men standing over him, taking the information they needed about Lucy's whereabouts. And for some strange reason, that image seemed familiar.

Kenshin frowned slightly. Why did that scene seem so familiar? It was like it had happened before. For a moment Kenshin wondered why he cared, as he never had cared or thought about anything before. He'd always accepted everything because that's just how it was. But for some strange reason, he wanted to know why this seemed familiar, and why it seemed so important.

It felt like that time when he was talking to Mayu and that… memory had resurfaced. Something about men in black taking him away from his parents. It felt related to that.

The memory came back again. And then, like a missing piece of a puzzle, a new memory came with it, connecting the men in black taking him from his parents to Kakuzawa standing over him.

" _So this is the boy?" Kakuzawa asked._

_Little Kenshin coward away from him in fear, but he couldn't move far as he was chained to that wall._

" _Yes," one of the men replied. "His names Kenshin Minamoto. Son of Susumu and Michiko Minamoto. Age 5, blood type A+, date of birth-"_

" _I could care less of such things." Kakuzawa interrupted. He bent down so he was eyelevel with Kenshin. "Don't look so afraid. This is your new home now. We're going to be great friends."_

_Tears ran down Kenshin's cheeks. "I want my mommy and daddy."_

_The grin never left Kakuzawa's face. "I'm sorry, but you can't see them anymore. But I'll be your new daddy. Now be a good boy and don't give daddy any trouble." He stood up and turned to his men. "Begin immediately. I want to see his potential."_

_And that's when the pain began._

Kenshin's eyes snapped open. Yes, he remembered that now. It had happened so long ago, and had become buried in the back of his mind along with everything else. He remembered the love and joy he felt with his parents, he remembered being torn from their side and brought into a life of pain so intense that he had locked away his very identity and will to do anything. And it was all Kakuzawa's fault. And now he was going after Lucy, to try and bring her back to a life of pain.

Kenshin's fists clenched. For the first time since he could remember, he felt angry. But anger wasn't the only thing he felt. A mixture of emotions he had long since forgotten surfaced.

His cheeks felt wet. Kenshin reached up to and found that he was crying. Again? That meant he was sad, right? Yes, he was sad.

Kenshin wiped his eyes and stood up. He didn't have time to feel sad. He had to leave. There was something he had to do. No, scratch that. For the first time since he could remember, there was something he  _wanted_  to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Troubles a brewing. Kakuzawa knows where Lucy is and is going after you. But more of Kenshin's humanity has surfaced, as have some rather upsetting memories. Who knows what he'll do next. But onto happier news, Yuka has given up on Kohta and has given him to Lucy. Finally Lucy can find some happiness. That is, unless her happiness is snatched away from her again.)


	18. The Final Slaughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Anxious to know what happens? Wait no longer.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 18: The Final Slaughter**

Lucy had, dare she say it, been having fun with Wanta. She had thought that walking him would be a chore, but she had actually enjoyed herself. For a short while, she was that innocent little girl playing with the puppy she had found all those years ago. She would have to do this more often.

Wanta barked happily and tried to run away, but was held back by the leash. Lucy broke out into a smile. She had been smiling more and more lately. She hated to admit it, but she owed her newfound happiness to Kaede. If her alternate personality hadn't helped her escape from the lab, she would still be back there suffering.

' _You would find even greater joy if you would just give in to me.'_  came Kaede's voice.

Lucy frowned.  _'I will not play your sick game. Helping me escape was the_ only _thing I owe you. Any other desires you have are not my own. They are merely my instincts, which I choose to take no part.'_

' _Poor, poor, Lucy. You will soon find that what you want will no longer be relevant.'_

Lucy's eyes narrowed.  _'I thought your desires were the same as mine.'_

' _They are.'_  Kaede admitted.  _'But there are things that I want that you don't want. Your rightful place as the queen of your species is a prime example.'_

' _The hell with my species! They can go extinct for all I care!'_

' _Regardless of what you or I want, one day, Diclonius will replace humans as the dominant species of this planet. Even if I no longer take part, it will still happen. I will merely speed up the process.'_

Lucy didn't argue back. She couldn't. What Kaede said was true. One day, maybe hundreds or even thousands of years from now, humans would be extinct, and Diclonius will remain until the next stage of evolution took place. That was just the way things worked. That was natural order.

Lost in her thoughts, Lucy hadn't realized that Wanta had stopped until she felt the pull on the leash. She looked behind her to see the dog with his feet planted firmly on the ground. His eyes were narrowed and his teeth were bared as he growled.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. She gave the leash a tug, but Wanta refused to move, barking in argument.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Do you smell something you don't like?"

Wanta proceeded to act as if he were in a threatening situation. Curious about what was wrong, Lucy used her vectors to pick the dog up and carried him the last few yards to Kaede House.

Wanta began barking loudly. Lucy wondered why until she saw a note taped to the door. Thinking that Kohta or Yuka probably left a note saying that they took Mayu to the hospital, presumably at Nana's insistence, she took it down and unfolded it.

As her eyes scanned the note, they grew large and fearful. She dropped Wanta, her complete attention on the note.

' _It can't be.'_  She thought fearfully.  _'How did they find us? We never left an clue about Nana and I being here.'_

There was a chuckle in her head.  _'Ah, but you did.'_ said Kaede.  _'You may not know what happened during the brief period we were Nyu after killing Mayu's parents, but I do.'_

Lucy's heart was pounding. "What happened?"

Kaede chuckled.  _'You had a little run in with Kenshin. Nothing serious. He didn't hurt you since you weren't Lucy at the time. But little Nyu brought him back here.'_

Lucy's eyes widened.  _'He must have told Kakuzawa.'_

' _It is the only explanation.'_

Lucy looked back at the letter.  _'And now he's hoping to get me by using them.'_

She crushed the letter in her hand. How dare Kakuzawa threaten her family! Yes, her family. The old fool must have finally gotten it through his head that she wouldn't be taken back to the lab, and was using Kohta and the others as hostages.

' _But why there? Why didn't he just wait for me here?'_

' _For obvious reason.'_  Kaede told her.  _'He's trying to keep a low profile. He doesn't want anyone to know about this. That's why he wants to meet there. He can make sure the area is secure, just like he did last time.'_  She was silent for a moment.  _'So what are you going to do?'_

Kaede didn't even need to ask. Lucy knew that it was no longer up to her. Right now, her greatest desire was to rescue Kohta and the others, then to slaughter Kakuzawa and everyone assisting him. Kaede would act upon this desire, whether Lucy wanted her to or not. She could already feel her darker half taking over. Lucy let her take control, knowing that there would be no use in fighting the inevitable.

' _I wonder,'_  Lucy thought,  _'will I go to Hell for my sins?'_

"No, Lucy," Kaede answered, now in complete control, "I think you've suffered enough."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

The scientists and security guards had let all the Diclonius out of their cells, after giving them a little something to help them relax, and were now having their wounds treated. The plan was to sedate the Diclonius into a state where they wouldn't be in much of a condition to fight, and then treat their wounds and explain what was happening. Even so, there had still been some bloodshed. Six people had been wounded, and four more had been killed, but the drugs seemed to be kicking in. The Diclonius seemed to have calmed down. And though it was clear that they had not forgiven their tormentors, they had stopped fighting, seeing this as their chance for freedom.

Kenshin, however, was the exception. He wasn't waiting around for the police and doctors to arrive. He had something he had to do, and he was going to do it.

"You can't leave!" a man shouted at him. "You have to wait for the police to come. Then you can get help."

Kenshin ignored him and continued down the hall.

"You must stop." A scientist insisted. "It's true that we're letting you go, but we can't have you walking around in public so soon. We can't risk anymore bloodshed."

Kenshin stopped, but only because the scientist was in his way. "Move."

The scientist shook his head. "I know you want to leave, I don't blame you after everything we've put you through. But you must understand that we have to consider both the public's safety and your own."

"They are in no danger from me." Kenshin said calmly. "Only one will die."

The scientist shook his head and reached into his coat for a syringe. "You're leaving me with no choice. I'm just going to give you a little something to-"

His sentence was cut off as Kenshin decapitated him. He didn't react to the man's death. Though his humanity was very slowly returning, he had yet to regain his conscience. The scientist had been a mere obstacle in his way, which he removed in the simplest way possible, then continued on his way.

"Kenshin."

He stopped as Arakawa moved in his way. Another obstacle, easily overcome.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To find Kakuzawa." Kenshin replied simply.

Arakawa shook her head. "Let the police handle him. We have to get you help."

"I need no help. I am in no need of medical treatment, and I have no desire to kill anybody, save one."

"You can't go around killing people." Arakawa argued. "I'm trying to prove that you Diclonius are not mindless killers who kill for no reason. If you continue slaughtering people, it's going to make it harder-"

One of Kenshin's vectors shot out. It wrapped around her throat, lifted her in the air, and slammed her against the wall. Arakawa suddenly became very fearful her life. Kenshin was different from other Diclonius. While the others that had been held captive were filled with great anger and hatred for their tormentors, Kenshin felt nothing. Killing her wouldn't be an act of vengeance, but merely a simple chore, like flipping a light switch.

Gasping for breath, she looked down at Kenshin, expecting him to snap her neck at any moment. "Are you going to kill me now?"

Kenshin looked at her for a moment. "No." He let her go. "I have no desire to take your life."

He began walking away again. Arakawa rubbed her throat. Her first thought was that she had been touched by a vector. She had been infected. She now carried the Diclonius gene within her. Any children she would have would have horns. And she did want children one day, but they would all be Diclonius.

And a split second later, she realized that she didn't care. Diclonius were people too. And even if her children were Diclonius, she would love them just as much as she would if they were human children.

More security guards rushed forward to stop Kenshin from leaving. But Arakawa spoke up. "Stop, let him go."

They looked at her as if she had gone crazy. "What? But he just killed a man."

"That was our fault. Don't stand in his way."

"We cannot just have one of  _them_  walking around freely."

Arakawa glared at him. "Why not? That is what our goal. Humans and Diclonius living together peacefully. Kenshin has no desire to hurt anyone." Except for Kakuzawa, but the freak deserved it many times over. "Kenshin," she called, "when you finish what you need to do, make sure you come back."

Kenshin didn't even look back. "Don't worry, I will."

After all, he had nowhere else to go.

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

This seemed like a very appropriate place to settle things. A bloodbath had taken place on this bridge. This was where Lucy had been captured for the second time. Sadly, some good men were killed as well, including Shirakawa, Kurama, and his daughter. Lucy would meet her end here.

He turned to his captives. Bound and gagged, Yuka and Mayu looked terrified by being surrounded by all these men with guns. Poor Nana had a collar around her neck that repeatedly sent electric shocks through her to keep her in a state of pain so she couldn't use her vectors.

But Kakuzawa could care less about them. It was the boy who was glaring at him defiantly that held his interest. What was it about this boy that held Lucy so spellbound? Why was she so enamored with him? He was just an ordinary human; there was nothing special about him.

Kakuzawa shook his head. It didn't matter, as long as it brought Lucy to him. He wasn't fool enough to try and confront Lucy head on. He had tried that, and everyone had failed. Bando, the mercenaries, Nana, his son, Kurama, Shirakawa, Mariko, and then Bando again. They had all failed, either being slaughtered or severally wounded. That's why he was having her come to him, and with her lover and her friends here, she wouldn't attack.

At least that's what his plan was.

"Sir, someone's approaching." Said one of his men.

Kakuzawa placed his hand over his head to keep the sun out of his eyes and looked down the road. Someone was approaching them. And unless it was someone who ignored the roadblock they had set up, it could only be Lucy.

But it wasn't Lucy. At least not the Lucy he knew. The look on her face and the way she held herself were different. He had only seen her act like this once before, on the security monitors after her second escape.

"Well, this is unexpected." He said. "I had expected Lucy to come, not you."

Kaede sneered at him. "Your note said merely to come here, not who to come as."

Kakuzawa crossed his arms. "Fair enough. Still, I had my doubts. You really did come here to save these pathetic humans."

Kaede shook her head. "Not them. Only Kohta. Although the others will be useful. I did infect them."

Kakuzawa raised an eyebrow. "Did you now? Then maybe I'll let them go once I kill you."

"Kill me?" Kaede repeated. "You don't want to take me back?"

Kakuzawa glared at her. "There's no point. My research is at an end. All I have left is your life."

"Interesting. So your work is finished. I am curious as to know what your goal was."

Kakuzawa sneered at her. "I wanted to create the perfect being. I thought you were the fastest way to reach my goal, but instead you led to my downfall."

Kaede chuckled. "So you were trying to play God?" She grinned evilly at him. "Well, now the real God will judge you."

Her vectors shot out. Having Diclonius blood, Kakuzawa was able to see them.

"Kill her!"

The soldiers began firing. Kaede wrapped her vectors around herself, forming a protective cocoon around herself. She laughed as their pathetic bullets slammed into her invisible force field, leaving her completely unharmed.

Kakuzawa swore. "Don't you have any more powerful weapons?"

"This is all we could smuggle out, sir."

Kaede openly laughed. "You humans and your pathetic guns. It's pitiful. I prefer to use my bare hands."

Using her vectors, she launched herself at them. Her vectors went flying, slaughtering one after the other. Kakuzawa's eyes widened in horror. Kaede wasn't hesitating at all, even with her friends as hostages. He watched in slow motion, as body parts and blood went flying.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Kohta's head. Seeing her lover die would stop her dead in her tracks.

_Sching!_

Kakuzawa cried out as his hand was sliced off, the gun falling to the ground. Kaede grinned at him before returning her attention back to the soldiers.

The bloodbath seemed to last an eternity, but it was over in less than 15 seconds. Bodies and body parts littered the ground in a pool of blood. Kakuzawa was on his knees, nursing his bleeding stump. Kaede barely glanced at him before turning to her friends and using her vectors to cut their bonds.

Once his hands were free, Kohta ripped the gag out of his mouth. "What did you do?" he demanded, horrified.

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "Is that your way of thanking me?"

"Thanking you? You killed everyone. You didn't have to kill them."

Kaede bent down so she was eye-level with him. "I know I didn't. I  _wanted_  to. I am not held back by morals like Lucy is." She stood up and turned to Kakuzawa. "Now leave while I finish up her."

"Kaede-"

An invisible fist slammed into his jaw.

"Go now." she told him. "I may not be able to bring myself to kill you, but I can still hurt you." She glanced at the three girls. "And, of course,  _they_  are expendable."

Yuka held Mayu and Nana protectively. "Kohta…"

Kohta glared at Kaede. He knew she would carry out her threat. She wasn't Lucy.

Without another word, Kohta and the others took their leave. Kaede and Kakuzawa were left alone, with nothing but bloody corpses to keep them company. Kakuzawa looked up at Kaede, knowing that her death was in her eyes.

"This ends it." she told him.

Her vectors shot out, relieving Kakuzawa of his arms and legs. But before he hit the ground, two of her vectors grabbed either side of Kakuzawa's head and lifted him in the air.

"I should thank you." she told him, grabbing one of his horns and breaking it off, bring much skin with it. "I owe my existence to people like you."

Kakuzawa looked down at her fearfully as blood ran down his forehead. But as he watched her, the fear slowly left him. Soon he began laughing. It started with a chuckle and ended in a full blown laughing fit.

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "You're about to die. So what do you find so amusing?"

Even though he was hurting, Kakuzawa still managed to smile at her. "It's ironic. I dedicated my whole life trying to create the perfect being," he snickered some more, "but you were already here."

Kaede stared at him for a moment before smiling at him and crushing his head with her vectors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Kakuzawa may be dead, but that doesn't mean all is right in the world. There are still a few more things that need to be taken care of. And I know what you're probably thinking; is Arakawa crazy for letting Kenshin walk free? Well, it may not be the smartest thing to do, but she's gathered information and knowledge on Diclonius that no one else has. She doesn't believe Kenshin will actually harm anyone aside from Kakuzawa, mostly do to his inability to think for himself. Things are going to start coming to a close, so you won't want to miss the next chapter.)


	19. Inner Conflict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Things ended in a bloody mess last chapter. But things are about to get a lot mire complicated.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 19: Inner Conflict**

_Drip, drip, drip._

The sound of the blood dripping off her body made Kaede smile. She looked down at her blood stained hands, smearing around the red substance. It was even more pleasing to know that the blood belonged to Kakuzawa, the man responsible for so much of her pain.

"I've longed to take his life." She said. Her thoughts turned inward. "You did too, didn't you Lucy? And don't you dare deny it."

She couldn't. Lucy may have had a hard life due to human cruelty, but Kakuzawa had been responsible for most of her torment. She had sworn never to kill again, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bad for the mad man's death. In fact, she was happy he was gone. The world really was a better place without him. Human, Diclonius, it didn't matter, it was because there were people like him that others had to suffer.

"What's wrong?" Kaede asked. "Why don't you rejoice? I feel how glad you are that he's gone. Take pleasure in it. You're free now."

' _Free?'_  Lucy muttered.  _'You call this free? This isn't free. One prison was merely exchanged for another.'_

Kaede sighed. "Oh my dearest Lucy. In time, you will understand. We shall wipe out all humans and populate this world with Diclonius. We will be supreme. The new queen of our own race. The mother of them all. There will be no more hiding what we are. We will be well and truly free. Both of us."

' _No!'_  Lucy cried.  _'I won't be free. I won't ever be free as long as you're here. You're keeping me prisoner. The things you want for me, for our race, I want no part of. I don't give a damn about any of it. You're no different from Kakuzawa and his deranged scientists. You're just using me to achieve your own goals.'_

Kaede's eyes narrowed. "They are our goals. You just aren't strong enough to reach for them. That's why you need me. You've always needed me. That's why you created me, because you're too damn weak to do anything. I've done what you couldn't."

Lucy felt her temper snap.  _'Need you? I don't need you! You've done nothing but ruin my life! If you had never come to me that festival night all those years ago, if you had never made me into a killer, I could have had a decent life! I could have grown up with Kohta and learned that there was more to humanity than cruelty! You think I need you? I don't need you! It's you who needs me! I'm the queen of the Diclonius! It's my body that holds the key to their future! Without me, you can't achieve your goals! Without me, you wouldn't even exist! I need you? No, I never needed you! I didn't need you back then, and I don't need you now!'_

Kaede doubled over. She felt Lucy taking over. She was surprised by Lucy's sudden display of strength. There was something different in the way Lucy was fighting her. In the past when she had struggled for control, it was only for the body. She had accepted that Kaede was a part of her and was only trying to keep her locked away. Now she was trying to get rid of her. To erase her the same way she had created her.

"Very well, Lucy." She said. "Lets see what's stronger, instinct, or willpower."

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Lucy slowly opened her eyes. It made no difference. It was so dark that she couldn't tell the difference from when her eyes were closed. It was as if she had gone blind.

She sat up worriedly. Once she did, she looked down and saw herself. She could see her body just fine. It was as if everything else had vanished and she was the only thing that existed, lost in darkness. And she was naked too; not that it bothered her, but she did wonder why.

"Where the hell am I?"

"A good question." A voice replied. "Technically we're nowhere."

Lucy turned around, Her eyes narrowing. "Why aren't I surprised to see you here?"

Kaede snickered. She looked the same as she did when she had appeared to Lucy back in the lab, her horns still devil-like, her face still bandaged, her body still coated in blood. Seeing her here, it didn't take Lucy long to figure out where they were.

"We're in my mind, aren't we?"

" _Our_  mind." Kaede corrected. "We share the same mind. This is the back of our subconscious where I slept until the time came for me to wake up again." The bandages around her mouth shifted, indicating that she was smiling. "And I most likely would have remained asleep if you hadn't gone all noble. But I couldn't have you forsaking our destiny. That's why I had to take control. But you won't let me anymore. So now we have to put an end to this."

Lucy felt a chill run through her. Was this her confrontation with her other side? She had heard that it was possible for people with split personalities to be dominated completely by they're other half. Was that what was happening? Was this the test that would determine which one of them would truly get to live?

"Come now." said Kaede. "It's time to put an end to this senseless battle."

Her vectors shot out. Lucy eyes widened and she quickly wrapped her own vectors around herself protectively. Kaede's vectors slammed into her and Lucy went flying backwards.

Kaede charged at her, her vectors flying. Lucy rolled to the side as one of Kaede's vectors stabbed down where she was laying. She continued rolling away as Kaede's vectors proceeded to stab downward.

Finally she lashed out with her own vectors. She grabbed Kaede's, just as they came down. Keeping hold of her other half's vectors, she spun her around and threw her. Kaede used her own vectors to stop her fall, then was coming at Lucy again.

The two came together, locked in combat. They were hand to hand, vector to vector, trying to overpower the other.

"Why do you fight your destiny?" Kaede demanded. "This is why you were born. It's your fate."

"I don't believe in fate!" Lucy snapped. "We make our own destiny. And mine will no longer include you."

Kaede chuckled. "You can't beat me, Lucy. You can't fight your instincts. Soon you will be me."

"I'd rather be dead."

"That works too."

Kaede slammed her head forward. One of her long horns cut into Lucy's shoulder. With a gasp of pain, her strength diminished. Kaede overpowered her and flipped her over her shoulder. Lucy had the breath knocked out of her as she was slammed down.

With a smirk, Kaede kicked Lucy in the side while she was down. "Does it hurt, Lucy?" She chuckled. "Don't worry, the pain is all in your mind. And I mean that literally."

She reached down with her vectors and began strangling Lucy. Lucy's hands began clawing at the invisible ones around her neck, struggling to get air into her lungs.

"Shush now." Kaede told her quietly. "It'll be over soon. Then things can progress the way they were meant to. I'll see to our race's future." Her grin widened. "And I'll take care of Kohta as well. This time he will be mine. I must admit, I was jealous of the passion you two shared that night. Now it will be my turn."

Anger flashed in Lucy's eyes. Her vectors shot up to slice Kaede in two, but her darker half suddenly leapt away, narrowly missing being cut in two.

"Close call." Kaede remarked.

Her vectors shot out and she grabbed hold of Lucy's vectors by the wrists. She transferred two of them to her other vectors, leaving two more for her to use, and Lucy unable to defend herself.

Kaede stood over Lucy as she struggled to get free, but Kaede's grip was too strong. Suddenly Kaede's foot came stomping down on Lucy's chest. She gasped in pain from the force, having the wind knocked out of her.

Kaede stomped down again, her eyes flashing angrily. "You've got a lot of nerve!" She shouted stomping down again. "You try and kill me after everything I've done for you. If it weren't for me, you'd still be that heartbroken crybaby at the festival all those years ago." _Stomp!_  "You'd still be on the run from the authorities."  _Stomp!_  "You'd be a weak nobody that still gets pushed around."  _Stomp!_  "You'd still be a damn lab-rat in Kakuzawa's facilities."  _Stomp!_  "It's only because of me you found any sort of happiness."  _Stomp!_  "And you say you don't need me!"  _Stomp!_  "How dare you!"  _Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!_

She finally let up. Lucy coughed and gasped for breath, her chest aching terribly. Kaede stared down at her, watching her suffer. "I've tried to make you happy, Lucy. But you continue to fight me, and you suffer for it. So now I will do the only thing I can do. I'll end your suffering. You'll never be hurt again." Her two free vectors came up, reading to put an end to her other half. "Goodbye, sister."

She stabbed downward with her vectors. But they never touched Lucy. Four more vectors suddenly wrapped around Kaede's, pulling them back. Then a pair of arms wrapped around Kaede from behind, pulling her away from Lucy.

Caught in a body-lock, Kaede looked over her shoulder to see what was going on. "You!"

Nyu glared back at Kaede, keeping a firm grasp on Kaede, using her own vectors to hold back Kaede's. With eyes full of fury, the child-like Diclonius looked down at Lucy. "Get her!"

Lucy blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision. She looked up and saw Kaede struggling to break away from Nyu. As Nyu's words slowly registered to her, Lucy realized that Kaede was open for an attack.

"Unhand me, you damn whore!" Kaede shouted.

She slammed her head back into Nyu's face. Nyu wailed loudly and her grip loosened. It was enough for Kaede to pull one of her vectors free.

Nyu's eyes widened in shock and pain as the vector that Kaede pulled free stabbed her through the chest.

"Bitch." Kaede seethed, pulling free from Nyu's hold.

She turned back to Lucy, and her head was sliced clean off her shoulders by one of Lucy's vectors. The world spun as Kaede's dismembered head flew through the air and landed several feet away. Her only visible eye stared at her two counterparts and her decapitated body in shock and disbelief. Then her head seemed to melt into a puddle and faded away in the darkness. Her body followed suit, melting down and then fading away into nothingness.

Gasping in pain, Lucy forced herself to sit up. She turned to Nyu, seeing her lying on the ground with a large hole in her chest. She crawled over to her childish personality and grasped her hand. Nyu's eyes opened and she looked at Lucy.

"Nyu… did good…?" she asked.

Lucy gave a forced smile. "Yes, Nyu did very good."

Tears formed in Nyu's eyes. "Nyu… go bye-bye… Say bye-bye… to Kohta… for Nyu…"

Lucy nodded. "Yes, I will."

She smiled that innocent child-like smile, even as tears poured down her cheeks and her eyes slowly closed. "Nyu…"

Then, just like Kaede, her body seemed to melt and fade away. Lucy was left alone in the darkness. With a groan, she rolled onto her back and looked up into the black nothingness that was her subconscious. She felt herself drifting away…

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

When Lucy opened her eyes, she was once again on the bridge, surrounded by the bodies of the people Kaede had murdered.

Kaede! Lucy placed her hand on her forehead. She couldn't believe it, Kaede was gone. Her presence had vanished completely. It was different from when she was merely in control and Kaede was 'sleeping', Kaede was no longer there at all. And neither, she realized, was Nyu. Both the dark murderous personality and the innocent childish personality were completely gone.

Lucy placed her hand over her heart as she realized what had happened. She was once again alone in her body. Somehow her mind had healed itself of the two personalities it had created. She was once more all Lucy.

The sound of a gun being cocked brought her out of her revelation. There was someone behind her. And whoever it was had a gun aimed directly at her back.

"Don't move, bitch." The person said. "I've got you now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Unexpected, isn't it? Lucy has managed to rid herself of both Kaede and Nyu. It's sort of form of therapy. Both Kaede and Nyu are now 'dead', in her mind, so there will be no more taking over. But she's not out of the clear yet. Who is this person that has snuck up on Kaede? Can't tell you that, but I will say this, there's going to be a lot of surprises next chapter.)


	20. Blood On Our Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: We're coming to the final stretch. This is a very emotional chapter. I'm sure you're going to be surprised by the outcome.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Chapter 20: Blood On Our Hands**

Lucy froze. She knew who that voice belonged to. Besides, there was only one person she knew who would dare to speak to her like that.

"So, you're back." She said, not turning around. "Banda, is it?"

"That's Bando, bitch. And don't you dare talk down to me. I'm seconds away from blowing you away."

"Is that so?" She began to turn around.

"Don't look at me, bitch!" Bando shouted. "Stay right where you are. I know how you work now. I may be out of your six feet range, but I know you can throw anything as a weapon. There aren't that many things you can use here, but if I see something so much as twitch, I'm pulling the trigger."

Lucy couldn't resist pushing his buttons just a little. "I thought you're supposed to squeeze the trigger, not pull."

Bando snickered humorlessly. "Joke all you want, bitch, but you can't do shit to me before I blow your head off. I've been waiting a long time for this. It's time to get even."

"Even?" Lucy repeated. "You're going to kill me, and you call that getting even? Didn't I spare you, not once, but twice?"

"Spare me? Spare me! You may not have taken my life, but you sure as hell ruined it. My life was in perfect order before I met you. Now not only am I a freak, I'm also on the run."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it you that came after me when I was minding my own business? I merely acted in self-defense."

Bando sneered. "It was just a job, kid, unlike now, it was nothing personal. I was a mercenary; I did what was expected of me. Now I'm a wanted man who's got some deranged scientists after me so they can cut off my balls. And I mean that literally."

"Poor baby. You feel like your life is ruined because a job didn't go as planned."

Bando's grip on his gun tightened. "You must have a death wish to be talking to me like this when I've got a gun pointed at you."

Lucy couldn't help but to smile. "I've had a death wish all my life. I expected to die at any moment of any day for the longest of time. My whole life as been filled with pain and torment, just bordering on death. I've walked willingly to what I thought would be my death numerous times. Do you think that you would really intimidate me? I've faced death so many times that it's practically become a part of my daily routine. No, Bando, I'm not going to cower at death. There have been times that I've even wanted death to relieve me of my suffering. I've-"

"Will you shut up!" Bando shouted. "God, I didn't know you were so damn talkative. I've been waiting for this for months, and I'm not going to let you ruin it for me."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Then go ahead, take your revenge if it will make you feel better. You get off on killing, don't you? For me, it was always about survival. But for you it was mere sport. Your sins will catch up with you one day, Bando. I know this from personal experience. My past finally caught up with me, and I guess it's time to pay for my crimes."

"So what? You really want death?"

"It's not as if I have a choice, do I? I know how accurate you are. You're right when you say that I won't be able to make a move before you pull that trigger, so why bother fighting it? I'm tired, so tired of it all. The running, the suffering, the fighting, the killing, I'm just done with it all. So go ahead, end it."

Bando was silent for a moment, then he began to snicker. "You stupid bitch, you must think I'm a real dumb ass. Did you really think that by giving me that stupid ass speech that I would spare you? I don't care if you want to live or die. All I care about is putting a bullet in your head."

Lucy's expression didn't change. "Well, no one's stopping you." She fell silent for a few moments, before a smile broke out over her face. A few snickers escaped her lips before she began laughing loudly, much to Bando's surprise.

"And just what's so funny, bitch?"

Lucy just laughed harder, her laughs bordering on hysteria. She finally managed to control herself. "I just find it incredibly ironic. Since the day I was born, my life has never been my own. I never cared if I lived or died. Nothing mattered except for one thing. And after I took care of that, I resigned myself to accept death. Either death or imprisonment for life. I didn't care, it didn't matter." She snickered some more. "And now, when I'm finally free, when I can finally have a life, when I can finally be happy, when I finally decide that I want to live, I have you here about to take my life. It seems as if I truly was born merely to die. And now death has come for me just when I find something to live for."

Bando sneered. "That's called karma, kid." he told her. "And here's mine. Three times we've come together. Twice you've managed to escape, but you know what they say; third times the charm." He aimed right for the center of her head. "Strike three, bitch, you're out."

Lucy closed her eyes, knowing that this time she wouldn't be able to escape death. Even if she was fast enough to avoid being shot, she was too worn out to escape. This was really it.

There was the sound of thunder as the gun went off. Lucy didn't even flinch from the loud sound. She remained perfectly still, back turned, arms raised, eyes closed. There was no pain, no feeling of impact. He must have shot her in the head, granting her instant death. At least he had been merciful.

But what would she find when she opened her eyes? She expected either the bliss of Heaven, or the torment of Hell. Strangely, she felt exactly the same.

Slowly she opened her eyes. She was still on the bridge surrounded by bloody mutilated bodies. She wasn't dead? But Bando had a perfect shot, and he was far too merciless to spare her. So what had happened?

She turned around and received a shock. Bando was still standing where he was, his gun aimed right at her. But in place of where his right eye had once been, there was now a bloody hole that went straight through his skull.

Finally he collapsed, face down, a puddle of blood pooling around him. Behind him, holding a smoking gun, was Kohta. His eyes were wide, his skin was pale, and he was breathing heavily, his hands shaking.

"Kohta…" Lucy whispered, and ran over to him. He didn't react the slightest bit when she approached. "Kohta!"

He didn't move. It looked as if he was in a state of shock. Slowly, Lucy rested her hand on his shoulder. He didn't even react to physical contact, which greatly worried her.

"Kohta. Kohta, wake up." She slowly ran her hands down his arms until she reached the gun that he was gripping so tightly that his knuckles were white. "It's ok, Kohta. Put it down."

Apply light pressure, she attempted to lower his arms. He seemed to resist at first, but then his arms slowly came down.

"That's good." She told him. "Now let go of the gun. Come on, Kohta, it's ok. Just let it go."

She carefully extracted the gun from his hands. Although he no longer had an iron grip on it, she still had to move his fingers for him to take the gun away.

"Shh." She soothed. "It's ok. It's ok."

Tears welled up in Kohta's eyes and he dropped to his knees. The rest of his body began shaking, but the look of stunned horror remained frozen on his face.

"I killed him." he whispered.

"Shh." She shushed him, pulling him into an embrace. "It's ok."

"No…" Kohta muttered as the tears ran down his cheeks. "I killed him. I really did."

"To save me." Lucy told him, stroking his hair in a comforting manner. "You did it to save me. He was going to kill me. You know he was. Kohta, you saved my life."

"But I killed him!" Kohta cried. Emotion was creeping back into his voice, which meant that he was coming out of his state of shock. "I aimed right at him and pulled the trigger."

"You had no choice. He would have killed me, and maybe even you too if he saw you. That man was a killer. You didn't have a choice."

"There's always a choice." Said Kohta, burying his face into her chest, holding onto her tightly. "I've always said that killing was never the right answer, that it was wrong. I condemned you for those that you killed, then I go and do the same. I'm nothing but a damn hypocrite."

"You had no choice." She repeated.

"But I did!" Kohta cried. "I didn't have to kill him. I had the gun on him. I could have told him to drop it. I could have fired a warning shot. But no, I made the conscious decision to kill him. I could have just shot him in the arm or the leg, but no, I aimed right for his head and pulled the trigger. It didn't matter who he was or what he did, I had no right to take his life. No right at all."

"Kohta…"

He looked down at his hands. "I've got blood on my hands now. Blood that can't be washed off with soap and water. I've taken a life and I can't undo that." His fists clenched. "Is this the burden you've always been carrying? It's unbearable. I'm a murderer."

"No you're not. You a good person, Kohta. The greatest person I've ever known, and I have no right to have your love."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm on the same level as you. I'm no different from you, Lucy. We're exactly the same."

Lucy held onto him tightly. "Then we deserve each other. It'll all work out somehow. We'll take care of each other. We'll get through this together."

"I don't see how, Lucy. I really don't see how I'll be able to get beyond this."

Lucy thought back to what Kohta had told her that one night. "You've taken a life, Kohta, so now you must live for that person. Bando lived a very miserable and sad life. So live a good joyful one for him instead. Remember what you told me, make up for the life that you've taken by living life for them. I can't tell you how much those words helped me, Kohta. So now I will use those same words on you."

Kohta gave a snort of humorless laughter. "I must seem really pathetic to you right now."

Lucy shook her head. "No, Kohta. We all have our time of weakness. You are the strongest person I know. You deserve to-"

She cut herself off, her head snapping to the side as she sensed something. There was a figure on the other bridge, watching them. She knew who they were. She was just surprised by the difference she sensed within them.

Using his vectors, Kenshin flung himself to the other bridge, landing beside Lucy and Kohta. He stared at them for a moment before looking at the bodies scattered about. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the remains of Kakuzawa. He turned back to Lucy, his face expressionless.

"You killed him?" he asked. "Kakuzawa?"

Lucy didn't feel like explaining about Kaede, so she merely nodded. "Yes, I did."

Kenshin studied her for a moment before shaking his head. "No, it was the other you." He frowned, cocking his head to the side. "She's gone now. Both the other yous are gone. I can't sense them anymore."

Again Lucy nodded. "Yes, both Nyu and Kaede are no more. It's just me, only me."

Kenshin seemed to think this over. Then he glanced at Bando's body and turned back to them, this time his eyes settling on Kohta. "And you, you killed him?"

Kohta wiped his eyes. He had to acknowledge what he had done. "You're right, I did." He looked at Bando's body and said with complete truth, "And I'm not sorry for it. Not if it saved her."

Kenshin studied the two of them. He was silent for over a minute before he seemed to come to a conclusion. "You two… you're in love." He noted their surprise at his observation. "You love each other?"

Both Lucy and Kohta looked at each other before turning back to Kenshin. "Yes," Lucy said, "we do."

"Very much." Kohta added.

"I see." A look of longing appeared in Kenshin's eyes. "I miss love."

He fell silent again. But the silence was soon broken by the sound of police sirens. Kohta knew immediately that Yuka must have contacted the cops. He supposed that it should have been a good thing, but how in the hell were they supposed to explain this?

"What now?" Lucy asked, echoing his thoughts.

Finding strength, Kohta forced himself to his feet. "You think we can get away before they get here?"

"No." Kenshin replied. "They're already here. The bridge is surrounded on both sides." He nodded down behind them. "Look, they're coming now."

As they waited for the inevitable, both Kohta and Lucy tried to come up with some sort of way to explain themselves. They came up with absolutely nothing. The police arrived, surrounding them all. They looked horrified at the blood bath that had occurred.

"God in Heaven…" whispered on of the cops. "What happened here?"

"It's the same M.O. as the other murders." Said another officer.

"You, kids!" said another. "What's going on here?"

As Lucy and Kohta struggled to find something to say, Kenshin began to snicker. The two looked at him in confusion as his laughter grew louder. The police looked at him, also confused, as Kenshin burst into an insane fit of laughter.

"So," he said, his voice sounded incredibly diabolic, "you finally did it. You finally found me." He turned to the police with a look of insanity on his face and a large evil grin. "I was wondering when I'd be caught. You've been searching for me for years, ever since I was a small child, but I always slipped away. Your police force is a damn disgrace."

The police looked shocked and confused by what Kenshin was saying. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Kenshin repeated. "I mean that I'm the one responsible for all the gruesome unexplained murders that have happened here over the years. I've been killing since I could walk. Truthfully, I didn't think you'd ever find me." He glanced at Kohta and Lucy. "Guess it's your lucky day. Seems like you'll be the first ones to survive an encounter with me and remain intact." He turned back to the cops. "But you're out of your minds if you think I'm going quietly."

Using his vectors, he lifted himself in the air, making it look like he was flying. The police looked on in stunned disbelief as Kenshin seemed to float in the air.

"Fun time!" Kenshin announced.

He lashed over with his vectors, cutting one of the cops in half. He lashed out again, removing the head of another. His grin widened as he used his vectors to pick up a few of the guns from the men that Kaede had killed. The police stared at the floating guns in open shock. But when Kenshin began firing, they seemed to snap out of their trance.

They open fired on Kenshin. Several bullets slammed into Kenshin's body, and he went down, landing beside Lucy and Kohta.

Lucy was both shocked and confused by what had just happened. Why had Kenshin done that? Why attack them? He didn't even seem to be trying. He could have easily killed all of them if he wanted to. And getting shot? He could have easily stopped those bullets. All he had to do was use his vectors to shield himself. But he didn't even try to defend himself. He had let himself get shot.

Kenshin coughed, spitting up a mouthful of blood. He looked up at Lucy, giving her a small smile as he spoke quietly enough for only her and Kohta to hear. "You're… free now… Lucy…"

Then he fell silent. His eyes shut and his breathing stopped as he passed on.

Lucy was astounded. She couldn't believe it. Kenshin had just given his life for her and Kohta. On top of that, he had just taken the blame for, not just today's murders, but also all the murders over the years. From the time Lucy had been in the orphanage, until now, he had taken away the possibility that those murders would catch up with her. Kenshin had confessed, finally giving the police a culprit for all the unexplained gruesome murders. Case closed.

One of the officers stepped forward and nudged Kenshin's body with his foot. "Clear." He said, motioning for the other officers to come forward. "Looks like we finally got the psycho we've been searching for."

"My god," said another, "he can't be more than fourteen, fifteen. If he's really the one we were looking for, that means he really did start killing when he was a kid."

"Not that hard to believe after those stunts he pulled. Did you see that? Holy shit, what the hell was that? He just looked at them and they fell apart. And did you see those guns floating in the air like that? What the hell is going on here?"

"Never mind that now." said another officer, looking at Lucy and Kohta worriedly. "You kids ok? You're not hurt are you?"

Lucy shook her head as she attempted to find her voice. "Yes, we're ok now."

"Do either of you need to go to the hospital?"

Kohta managed to find his own voice. "No, we're not hurt."

The officer sighed. "Shit, this is fucked up. Come on, lets get you kids out of here. Where do you live?"

"Kaede House." Kohta replied. "It's not that far from here."

The cop motioned for them to follow him. "Well come on. I've got to take the two of you down to the station first and get your account of what happened here. Are you two up to that?"

Both Kohta and Lucy shared a look. "I think we can handle that." said the former.

"Alright, then come with me. I'll just need you to answer a few questions, then I'll take the two of you home."

"Home." Lucy repeated. She reached for Kohta's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Yes, I'd like to go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: A lot of you guessed that it was Bando that was behind Lucy, but I bet none of you saw the outcome of that confrontation. I'll also bet that none of expected what Kenshin did either. To tell you the truth, I did even expect that. Kenshin was meant to be a minor character who would be no more than a simple obstacle in the way. I had no idea he would take on such an important role. When he did become a more leading character, I thought I would end up pairing him with Mayu since they seemed to be fond of each other, but I guess that didn't happen either. What can I say, sometimes the characters in the story just write themselves. So tell me what you thought of this chapter.)


	21. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: Here's the epilogue. It's short, but nearly all epilogues are. It's just enough for you to get an idea of what happened to everyone and what became of the Diclonius race when their species became public knowledge.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Epilogue**

The spokesman for the Diclonius race finished his speech. He exchanged a few words with the human spokesman, and a few of them rather harsh. Though there was clearly racism involved, the worldwide discussion seemed to go rather well. Or, at least, it could have been worse.

With a sigh, Kohta shut off the TV, feeling somewhat satisfied with the way things had turned out. It was a slow process, but ever since the Diclonius race had come out into the open, things had begun to progress. Society was indeed very uncomfortable with this discovery, and there was indeed a lot of racism, probably the worst the world had ever seen, but things were improving.

Truthfully, Kohta had been surprised with the amount of Diclonius had been hiding in the world. There had been a lot of fear over the new race. A lot of people wouldn't accept them. Even in America, where all men were created equally, the Diclonius had struggled to find their place in the world.

But there was progress; that was the important thing. It would take time, just like when the slaves were freed, just like when women received equal rights as men, but society was beginning to accept the change. It would take many years, just as it did in the past with other cultures and races, but eventually human and Diclonius would be made equal. It was like the aftermath of a war, when the two warring countries had to learn to get along with their forming enemies. Sure there was hostility, and there would always be people who were too cruel to look beyond the horns, just as there were people who couldn't see beyond different skin color, different religions, different genders, and any other differences in people.

That isn't to say that there weren't those that didn't accept the Diclonius. Though a majority of society was finding accepting these new people to be hard, there were those that greeted the Diclonius with open arms. Even marriages between humans and Diclonius was becoming more common, though the offspring were always Diclonius. It was simple evolution, and while some accepted it, most couldn't.

Aside from being different, the biggest reason humanity had trouble accepting the Diclonius was out of fear. It was true that Diclonius could be very dangerous if provoked, and there had been much violence. Even for a Diclonius, murder was not acceptable. They were now legally equal to humans, which meant that they still had to follow the laws of society. And though there was violence anyway, it was getting better.

Kohta shook his head. He just didn't understand why it was so hard for people to accept the differences in others. People were people. It didn't matter if they had horns or not, just like it didn't matter what a person's religion was, skin color was, gender was, or racial background was. Size, weight, color, beliefs, sexual preference, age, disabilities, none of that mattered. Everyone was the same. If only society could accept that, then there would be a world without hatred and racism.

Turning away from such dark thoughts, Kohta began going through the mail. His eyes lit up when he came across one letter in particular. "Hey, we got a letter from Mayu and Nana."

"Oh?" Lucy came into the room. "How are they doing?"

Kohta grinned as his eyes scanned the letter. "They're really enjoying the college life. Wow, Mayu's joined three different clubs. I hope she'll still have time to finish all her work. Oh, it seems Nana has a boyfriend."

"Really?" That caught Lucy's interest. "And who is this boyfriend?"

Kohta finished reading the letter. "Doesn't say. She wants it to be a surprise. Says she's going to introduce him when we get together over the summer."

"Which reminds me, did Yuka ever R.S.V.P. for the party?"

Kohta looked through the rest of the mail, not finding one from Yuka. "No, not yet. But she is studying abroad. It'll take a while to hear back from her."

Lucy sighed. The hostility between her and Yuka had vanished over the years

Looking down, she lightly stroked the pink hair of the bundle she was holding. "She better come. She can't miss Nyu's first birthday."

Setting the mail aside, Kohta walked over to his wife, smiling down at the infant girl in her arms. The fact that the child had horns didn't even register to Kohta. All he saw was his beloved daughter. "How is she?"

Lucy ran her finger over the child's soft cheek. "She fell asleep a few minutes ago."

"I just wish she would let us sleep at night." Kohta joked, recalling all the times Nyu had woken them up with her crying, wanting to eat, play, have her diaper changed, or whatever.

"She's worth it." said Lucy, placing a kiss on her daughter's head. "I'm going to make sure she had everything I never did. She'll have all the love and happiness that was denied to me."

Kohta wrapped an arm around her. "I just wish I could have given you a happy childhood as well."

"It's ok." Lucy told him, feeling absolutely at peace. "It was worth it."

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/N: They named their daughter Nyu! How cute. Finally Lucy has found happiness. Things aren't completely perfect in the world, but they are getting there. Society is having a little trouble accepting this new race of people, but eventually it will all work out. Either that or it will all go to hell. But we'll just say that it all worked out. This brings my Elfen Lied story to an end. Thank you to everyone one that read, and thanks even more to those of you that reviewed. You're reviews really helped me, particularly with developing Kenshin's character. So how about one last review? It is my birthday after all. Appreciate it, much.)


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